City of Venice - European Policies

EUROPEAN OPEN DAYS 2007

Managing Migration and Integration at Local Level

The experience of the City of Venice and the Veneto Region

Andrea Del MercatoDirector

Social Policies, European PoliciesCity of Venice

City of Venice - European Policies

Structure of the Presentation

• Managing Migration and Integration at Local Level: MILE project and partnership

• Overview and overall data

• Actions undertaken and services provided

• Priority needs

• Final comments

City of Venice - European Policies

Managing migration and integrationat regional and local level: MILE project

The City of Venice along with the Veneto Region, in the framework of the Fast Track option within the URBACT Programme, leads a pilot project named MILE (Managing Migration and Integration at Local Level).

The MILE fast track project has identified in its first phase four themes to be developed in order to analyse and describe the immigration and integration:

• Theme 1: Enterprise development for ethnic minorities

• Theme 2: Active inclusion in the labour market

• Theme 3: Cultural diversity, economic development and social cohesion

• Theme 4: Access to services.

City of Venice - European Policies

MILE Project PartnershipEach partner City works in pair with its Managing Authority

1. City of Venice and Veneto Region (IT) – Lead Partner2. District of Rotterdam/Charlois and City of Rotterdam (NL);3. City of Vantaa and Employment and Economic Development Centre for

Uusimaa (FI);4. City of Turin and Piedmont Region (FI);5. City of Timisoara and Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing

(RO);6. City of Komotini and Managing Authority for Regional Operational of Eastern

Macedonia and Trace (GR);7. City of Sevilla and Direccion General de Fomento del Empleo de la

Consejeria de Empleo de la Junta de Andalucia (SP);8. City of Amadora and Managing Authority for Operational Programme (PT);9. Municipality of Nea Alikarnassos and Region of Crete (GR).

City of Venice - European Policies

Overview

• In the last decade, Veneto has become the second Italian region for immigration flow.

• This is mainly due to :– the wide opportunities to find a job which is primarily offered by the Veneto's

production system and by the high request for families' assistance (62% of the residence permits);

– families reunification (32% of the residence permits).

• In the Veneto Region the immigration is a long term structural phenomenon, thus regional and local policies address it consequently.

City of Venice - European Policies

Overall data

In 2002 the new Immigration Law (National Law n. 189 - July 30, 2002 - also known as “Bossi-Fini Law”) legalized a wide part of illegal immigration in Italy. Before the law: 133.674 workers were legally resident in the Veneto Region.After the law: the resident workers increased to 190.610.

In 2005 in the Veneto Region the total number of resident migrants was 320.793 of which:• 203.435 legal immigrant workers • 46,6% women • 24,1% minors.

In 2005 in the City of Venice the resident migrants were 14.769 (of which 50,7% women and 24,4% minors), 5,5% of the total resident population.

City of Venice - European Policies

The distribution of migrants by nationalities:Veneto Region and the City of Venice

The highest demand for families reunification comes from the largest immigrant communities originally from : Bangladesh, Moldova, Ukraine, Albania and Morocco.

Morocco13,6%

Romania13,4%

Albania10,4%

Serbia & Montenegro

6,7%

China5,1%

Macedonia4,3%

Other countries

Bangladesh16,3%

Moldova10,6%

Ukraine7,8%

Romania6,2%China

6,2%Albania5,9%

Other countries

VENETO VENICE

City of Venice - European Policies

The main policy goal: equal opportunities

The main policy implemented by Venice and Veneto Region is to give equal opportunities to all resident population, without differences between Italians and migrants.

This policy is mainly developed through:• training courses to help migrants’ employment;• social housing programmes; • better social relationships;• better education opportunities;• programmes for new entrepreneurships.

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Number of migrantsIn Veneto and in Venice

2002 2003 2004 2005

Veneto 184,000 240,000 287,732 320,793

var. % + 30.4 + 19.9 + 11.5

Venice 6,771 10,334 13,008 14,769

var. % + 52.6 + 25.9 + 13.5

% Venice / Veneto + 3.7 + 4.3 + 4.5 + 4.6

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Migration reasons in Venice

To study2,6%

Family reunification23,5%

To find a better future

19,4%

To find a job

41,8%

Political reasons2,3%

Other10,3%

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Migrant workers by sector

Agriculture6,7%

Fashion10,0%

Wood Industries4,8%

Heavy Industries26,0%

Constructions13,3%

Commerce & Transport

10,8%

Families Service18,7%

Social Services3,2%

Other Services6,5%

City of Venice - European Policies

Migrant entrepreneurs by sector

Constructions34,7%

Commerce16,7%

Trasports13,1%

Hotel/Restaurant11,4%

Firm Services7,8%

Heavy Industries7,5%

Agriculture4,7%

Other Services4,2%

City of Venice - European Policies

Actions undertaken and services provided (I)

Theme 1: Enterprise development for ethnic minorities• Entrepreneurial associations providing support to open and manage enterprises also for

the enterprises with migrant owners• Training courses for aspirants entrepreneurs and also for migrants

Theme 2: Active inclusion in the labour market• Information offices addresses to young people (Informagiovani)• Specific inclusion programmes for teenagers (age 15-19)• Support programme to help women during the first maternity months• Plans of social inclusion for colf and health keepers within Veneto Region, City of

Venice and Caritas (NGO) • Specific front office and training courses for migrant women • The “Reunification project”• Report on the Roma and Sinti situation in the province of Venice, • Social inclusion actions (particularly elimination of the nomadic fields)

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Actions undertaken and services provided (II)Theme 3: Cultural diversity, economic development and social cohesion• Introduction of comparison's practices with the immigrant communities present on the

territory (2006 programme of the Conference of the Mayors)

Theme 4: Access to services• Development of a regional network on immigration to foster the free association system

and creation of a regional register of migrants’associations (regional law n. 9/90)• “Zone Plans”, promoted by the Conference of the Veneto’s Mayors, aiming at planning

the offer of social and health services • Compulsory school for migrant children, including the irregular ones, in classes

corresponding to their age and not to their school level• Cultural mediation for examples in the case of emergency hospitalisation

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Priority needs (I)

Theme 1: Enterprise development for ethnic minorities• Information network providing detailed information on enterprise development (translations into different languages,

information on rules, laws, funds opportunities, and the monitoring systems)• Database of the professional associations, related training courses• Web portal illustrating opportunities for enterprises

Theme 2: Active inclusion in the labour market• Multifunctional front offices for inclusive actions in the labor market at a local level• Analysis and monitoring of the early school leavers problem• Connection of the data base of the City of Venice (Observatory on the school drop out) to the Observatory on the Obligatory

Education of the Province of Venice• Promotion of families reunification, particularly concerning male single parents• Development of microcredit initiatives in particular addressed to migrant women• Actions enhancing the scholastic inclusion of Roma children

City of Venice - European Policies

Priority needs (II)

Theme 3: Cultural diversity, economic development and social cohesion• Higher investment for social housing at regional and local level• Creation of the database of the migrants’ associations with the collection of the statutes

at local level

Theme 4: Access to services• Cultural integration actions in schools where the poor knowledge of Italian language is

the most difficult obstacle

• Increase of cultural mediation services, to be provided particularly in Hospitals

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Final comments

• Immigration in Veneto and in the City of Venice is a long term topic• The first emergency phase is over• The needs of migrants can sometimes be similar to the needs of the disadvantage

people• The aim of the social and economic policies in the Veneto Region and in the City of

Venice is to give equal opportunities to all the people, without differences between natives and migrants

Thanks for you attention!

For any informations: international.relations@comune.venezia.it

All the MILE project documentation will be soon available in the Urbact web site: www.urbact.eu