“Migration and Asylum Policies in the EU: a focus on integration” is the title of the paper drawn up by Youth Net, the advisory body of the Secretariat of Comece (the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union). The text, published earlier today, was drafted at the spring meeting of Youth Net in Budapest.

The document explores the key dimensions of integration, including vocational fulfilment and respect for human dignity, the demographic crisis and the role of community-based approaches as well as the relationship between migration and security. The meeting, held in Budapest in late June, brought together young delegates from the EU Bishops’ Conferences and also focussed on the current challenges and opportunities that the European Union is having to face, especially in migration, youth engagement and culture. The drafting of the document incorporates the results of a survey disseminated throughout the year among the Youth Net’s peers, as Comece’s secretary points out. Based on the responses, young people put forward recommendations to the EU institutions and Member States to “improve the integration of migrants across the continent”. Among the policy suggestions included in the document, following a thorough analysis of migration, were: empowering public discourse through education and data transparency on migration; strengthening EU-wide cooperation and policy coherence, particularly in implementing the EU Pact on Asylum and Migration; fostering inclusive societies by supporting local communities; promoting comprehensive integration programmes.