ELCI STUDY COUNTRY REPORT TEMPLATE LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND MIGRANT ORGANIZATIONS. [IOM Czech Republic]

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1 ELCI STUDY COUNTRY REPORT TEMPLATE LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND MIGRANT ORGANIZATIONS [IOM Czech Republic] INTRODUCTION [The introduction should briefly describe the migratory context of the region or area where the research took place, and the current state of policies and knowledge about local integration processes and of cooperation between local authorities and migrant organizations. The local authorities mentioned in this report should be based in the region or area of the study. The methodology adopted to implement the study and the choice of official authorities targeted during the research should also be described] Minimum 1 PAGE Migratory context of the region During past several years, there were significant changes in the Czech Republic in relation to immigration and integration of foreigners. These changes were not only in the characteristics and composition of immigration, yet also in the integration needs of foreigners and thus priorities of the Czech integration policy. The Czech Republic has become primarily immigration country. In , huge numbers of foreigners were entering the territory of the Czech Republic. The increase in the numbers of foreigners was yearly 40 thousands people, usually labour migrants arriving on lowqualified or unqualified positions. Another new migration situation ensued from the fact that there were arriving foreigners from very far countries such as Mongolia. Thus, the foreigners population changed not only in the increased numbers, yet also as concerns the cultural and social diversity. The economic crisis in the end of 2008 and during 2009 years brought about serious economic constraints to foreigners community and some problems connected to migration and integration of foreigners also occurred (Conception of integration of foreigners, 2011). The number of migrants (including those from the EU countries) in the Czech Republic (CR) grew gradually since 2000 until May 2009 when it peaked at (Czech statistical office, 2011). The total population of the Czech Republic is 10,5 million inhabitants. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 1

2 The target group of the Czech integration policy is a group of third-country nationals (i.e. non- EU Citizen) legally residing on the territory of the Czech Republic, who are not applicants for international protection neither recognized refugees. The numbers of this target group from the third countries legally residing in the Czech Republic have in the long-run gradually increased, i.e. from 2004 the numbers have almost doubled. This in turn has posed many challenges on the development of the Czech integration policy and praxis. In 2010 the number of foreign nationals residing in the CR dropped for the second year in a row. In comparison with the end of 2009, the number declined to foreign nationals which represented 4% of population (1,3% EU citizens, 2,7% third country nationals at the end of This drop in the foreigners numbers was due to the impacts of the economic crisis. The top five immigration countries have been in a long term Ukraine (29.2 % of foreigners), Slovakia (16.9 %), Vietnam (14.9), Russia (7.5 %) and Poland (4.3 %). There are thus more than 70 % of foreigners coming from these five countries (Czech statistical office, 2011). For top 15 foreign nationalities development between see Table 1. Women are represented significantly among the migrants living in the Czech Republic. At the end of 2009 year, their numbers reached almost 125 thousands (42 %). This proportion is very different at particular migrant communities. Yet, their proportion in the group of economically active persons is only one third, i.e. most of the women are economically nonactive. This is an important fact in relation to the integration policy measures (Conception of integration of foreigners, 2011). From the point of view of the age structure, the adult population among years is predominantly represented by 81% out of the total foreigners population, i.e. most of the foreigners are in productive age. Foreigners in post-productive age are represented only by app. 2% and under-aged migrants by 12,3%. 55% of foreigners from third countries living in the Czech Republic are economically active in the position of employee or as businessmen (almost 50% of economically active foreigners are businessmen due to easier conditions for obtaining of the visa permission). 63% of the positions taken as employees do not request any or minimum qualification (Conception of integration of foreigners, 2011). Foreigners can obtain permanent residence status in the Czech Republic in general after five years of their permanent stay on the territory of the Czech Republic. While in 2000 one fourth of all migrants had permanent residence status, in 2011 the share increased to almost 45%. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 2

3 See Table 2 for the growth in permanent residency. These statistics confirm the fact that many foreigners tend to stay on the long-term basis on the territory of the Czech Republic and the country has become immigration country. Foreigners with permanent residency can obtain state citizenship of the Czech Republic after further five years of living in the Czech Republic. But only approximately one thousand people per year obtain the state citizenship of the Czech Republic. This is less than 1% yearly from the total number of foreigners with the permanent residence from the third countries (Conception of integration of foreigners, 2011). Current state of integration policies and processes. Competences. As a matter of fact, the integration policy of the Czech Republic has recently changed in order to appropriately react on the changes in the migration situation. The emphasis was newly put at systemic monitoring and evaluation of the situation of foreigners and migrant communities in the Czech Republic in order to effectively set the integration measures in the locations with high concentrations of foreigners, including the cooperation with local public administration and enlargement of the subjects supporting the integration of foreigners. The state administration also increased the information outreach for foreigners. The integration measures were newly addressed not only towards foreigners legally staying on the territory of the Czech Republic for more than one year, yet also to newly arriving third country nationals (Conception of integration of foreigners, 2011). Coordination of the integration policy in the Czech Republic is in the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, the Department of Asylum and Migration Policies ( MoI ). The central office is based in Prague, yet it has 35 sub-offices in 30 towns within the Czech Republic. The Department of Asylum and Migration Policies is in charge of migration, asylum issues and overall coordination of the integration policy. In the frames of its activities there belongs also integration of compatriots resettled to the Czech Republic; integration of recognized refugees; international cooperation and Czech Foreign Development Cooperation program in relation to migration; MEDEVAC programme for children in serious health conditions from countries affected by war; legal framework in migration and asylum issues. From January 2011, the Department of Asylum and Migration Policies took over the responsibilities related to the residence permits of the foreigners on the territory of the Czech Republic. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 3

4 The Ministry of the Interior respects the national policy on integration given by the Conception of the integration as a main integration policy document. The MoI develops the national integration policy and it coordinates the policy. The policy is developed on the basis of the information and requests from the other ministries. Department has also consultative role in the whole process. The Department of MoI is responsible for the following programs on integration of foreigners: - Programs for education of personnel of the Integration centers; - Programs for information outreach for foreigners and the society information brochures, seminars for NGOs on new legislation, website and ; - Programs of support on the local level; - Administration of the European Integration Fund the purposes and requested results are set up. The main program in frames of the EIF is the financing of the Integration Centers as a structural measure; - Assistance and education projects in the regions. Besides the Ministry of the Interior, there is active also the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports who were interviewed in frames of the ELCI project. MoLSA used to be responsible for the integration issues until the Ministry of the Interior took over the agenda. It applies the principle of integration mainstreaming, i.e. it takes into account the potential impact on the integration of foreigners when developing the particular departmental policies, legal regulations and measures in the fields of employment, social assistance etc. From 1999 MoLSA has supported many different projects and organizations (including migrant organizations) dealing with integration of foreigners, through state funding, as well as many reserch projects on this topic. MoLSA is also the administrator of the European Social Fund (ESF). 1 In the field of integration of foreigners, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is responsible for the administration of programs for education of children migrants; creation of methodologies for education of migrants; monitoring of the status of children-migrants in the educational system; implementation of the educational programs od foreigners; program for foreign students. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 4

5 The foreigners integration policy is understood as an integral part of the legal migration policy and it must respond to the development of migration. Henceforth, the integration policy is not only focused on supporting the integration of legally residing foreigners into society but especially on the prevention of possible problems within immigration communities and their relationships with the majority. All the integration policy activities aim at trying to avoid the creation of closed immigrant communities, social isolation and the social exclusion of foreigners. The Policy for the Integration of Foreigners was adopted by Czech Government Resolution No of 11 December It was based on the Principles of Policy for the Integration of Foreigners within the Territory of the Czech Republic adopted by Czech Government Resolution No. 689 of 7 July The Updated Policy for the Integration of Foreigners was adopted by Czech Government Resolution No. 126 of 8 February The coordination role in implementing the Policy for the Integration of Foreigners was transferred from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to the Ministry of the Interior by the Czech Government Resolution No. 979 of 23 July The Policy for the Integration of Foreigners has relied from the very start on the involvement of a number of departments (Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Health, Ministry for Local Development, Ministry of Culture) as well as other partners (regions, nongovernmental non-profit organizations including migrant organizations, social partners, etc.). It responds in this way to the fact that the integration of foreigners is a complex problem concerning a number of areas. Yet, this diversity of actors poses also some problems and challenges. Some issues such as health insurance of foreigners or education of migrant children remain unsolved on the long-term basis. Each year, the Report on the Realization of the Policy for the Integration of Foreigners is submitted to the government. At present, it is the Czech Government Resolution No. 99 of 9 February 2011 to the Updated Policy for the Integration of Foreigners Communal Cohabitation (hereby referred to as Conception of integration of foreigners, 2011 ). Target group of integration of foreigners 1 An overview of foreigners integration projects financed from the European Social Fund (ESF) is provided at the website IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 5

6 The basic target group of integration of foreigners is group of third-country nationals (i.e. non- EU Citizen) legally residing within the territory of the Czech Republic, who are not applicants for international protection neither recognized refugees. In exceptional cases, this target group can include also nationals of EU member states. Specific measures of the State Integration Programme apply to the integration of recognized refugees. The integration policy is based especially on the following principles: practical cooperation of all subjects able to contribute to a successful course of integration; efficiency of integration measures; improvement of the awareness of all participants in the integration process; clear and graspable results of all integration activities; new tools (direct collaboration with municipalities, emergency projects, Integration Centres); support of the development of civic society especially in the regions in connection with the creation of regional integration centres. 2 The targeted measures intended to serve as conditions of key importance for the successful integration of foreigners in the Czech Republic include: knowledge of the Czech language on the foreigners part; economic self-sufficiency of the foreigner; foreigners knowledge of Czech society; mutual relations between foreigners and the majority society. National minorities In the Czech Republic, there are also recognized national minorities which have special rights and also funding opportunities, as compares to the other migrant groups. National minorities are defined by the legislation as community with common ethnic origin, language, 2 Ministry of the Interior website: IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 6

7 culture, traditions which creates significant minority in terms of number. National minorities strive for protecting and developing of their traditions, language and culture which has already historically developed. There are currently recognized the following national minorities: Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Polish, Roma, Ruthenian, Russian, Greek, Slovak, Serbian, and Ukrainian. Each national minority nominates one up to three representatives into Government Council for Nationalities. The Government Council is an advisory, initiativetaking and co-ordinating body of the Czech Government for matters of policy towards national minorities and their members. Cooperation between local authorities and migrant organizations Migrant organizations (MOs) do not have a special status in the Czech Republic. There are recognized non-governmental organizations (NGOs) only. Only the Ministry of the Interior operates informally with the term migrant organization in their work for integration of foreigners. From the interviews conducted, it is evident that there is a need for more information about the MOs among the public administration representatives. The mapping exercise will thus be very helpful in this context. Further Project activities which will enhance the potential cooperation between the public administration (both at central and local levels) and the migrant organizations will be also very useful in the Czech context. According to the Ministry of the Interior, non-governmental non-profit organizations play an irreplaceable role in the area of the integration of foreigners. The Policy for the Integration of Foreigners provides the framework for supporting such organizations in their establishment, activity and development and creates conditions for their active participation in the integration of foreigners. The activities of NGOs in the area of supporting the integration of foreigners are sponsored from the state budget funds (subsidies from ministries), from the funds of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-country Nationals (EIF) and other EU or EEC funds. Methodology In the Czech Republic, there is rather centralized national policy in the integration of foreigners. The integration policy is coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior. In frames of the Ministry of the Interior, there operates also the ELCI Project Partner Refugees Facilities IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 7

8 Administration ( RFA ) which established majority of the Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers (hereinafter referred to as Integration Centers ) in the regions at the local level from the funding of EIF (further on described in details). Other ministries participate at the integration policy development to certain level based on their expertise. The interview was conducted with the representative of the Refugees Facilities Administration responsible for the Integration Centers. Further on, the interview was conducted with the representative of the Ministry of the Interior, Department of Asylum and Migration Policies integration section. Two interviews were conducted with the representatives of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Special education, prevention and instututional care department, and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Department of conceptions of the labor market/department of foreign employment. At the local level, there were conducted two interviews with the heads of the local Integration Centers of RFA from Pilsen and Liberec region. These two centers were selected as appropriate in terms of cooperation with the migrants organizations, while the other Integration Centers do not have much experience with MOs. The interviews conducted took from 30 minutes to 1,5 hours and were done by IOM Prague, some interviews were conducted in joint cooperation with NGO partner Slovo 21. The interviews and the form of the questions were appropriate and relevant. The Ministries of Education and Labor though do not operate at the local level. 1. Local authorities and integration policies [As an introduction to this first section, briefly provide information on the main integration policies taking place at local level in the region or area selected. the institutional framework in which policies for integration take place at local level. If relevant, indicate the main local official authority dealing with integration-related issues, as well as the (national) political strategies.] The Czech integration policy consents that integration is a process coming into fruition in the areas of the foreigners residence or work activities, i.e. on the regional and local levels. It follows that municipalities and regions play an important role in providing central bodies of the state administration with feedback as regards the functioning of the integration policy, the situation and the position of foreigners in a given territory and the problems that need to be solved in the process of the foreigners integration. From the standpoint of efficient IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 8

9 functioning of integration, the involvement of the local level in the creation and realization of the policy for the integration of foreigners is indispensable. 3 However, according to the interviews, the integration of foreigners was not functional for a long time at the local level. In view of the absence of a regional integration policy, the Ministry of the Interior has supported a new instrument for implementing integration policy Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers (Integration Centers), financed mainly from the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals (EIF). These centers are established on the basis of projects whose implementing bodies were chosen in a grant tender procedure. The implementing bodies of these centers are, therefore, different agencies at present they include civil associations (e.g. Usti Region Advice Center) and regional administration (in the Southern Moravian Region) and the Refugee Facility Administration (RFA) management (in the remaining eight regions). The Centers which are to be gradually established in all regions (at present ten are already in existence) are intended to be centers for integration activities in the regions and to provide information, advice, Czech language and socio-cultural orientation courses for immigrants in the Czech society. It works in cooperation with other actors, mainly non-government, non-profit organizations (if these operate in the region in question). These centers have operated since September 2009 in six regions (Pilsen region, Pardubice region, Morava-Silesia region, Zlín region, South Bohemian region, Ústí nad Labem region). Further four centers were established during 2010 in South Moravian, Liberec, Karlovy Vary and Olomouc regions and similar centers will be established gradually in all regions of the Czech Republic. Especially, there is a great demand for the establishment of such Integration Center in the capital city of Prague. The centers serve as information points for foreigners and as a tool for the setup and realization of the integration policies in the regions. The centers, besides the above mentioned activities provide for permanent monitoring of the situation of foreigners and support the development of civil society. According to the representative of the MoI, with few exceptions, the municipalities are not yet sufficiently aware of the necessity of reacting to the presence of foreigners in the towns, thereby avoiding potential problems in mutual coexistence. In view of the problems arising as a consequence of the financial crisis towards the end of 2008, in some towns with significant numbers of foreigners (in particular foreign employees), the MoI supported the implementation of some so called emergency projects. These projects, aimed at supporting 3 Ministry of the Interior website: IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 9

10 intercommunity relations and prevention of conflicts in coexistence of immigrants with the majority, were implemented by city or borough councils with great success. Nevertheless, the emergency projects were an ad hoc instrument for solving immidiate crisis situations. Their aim was to start up action by the cities or boroughs, but not a long-term solution. It remains a question as to whether the local governments manage to build on this impulse for developing a long-term integration policy of their own. The projects supported under the emergency program were responding to the uncontrolled problems resulting from a sharp increase in the number of foreigners, dismissals of foreign workers, the creation of closed communities and growing tensions between foreigners and local population. There was also organized the First National Conference of Statutory Cities Solving the Integration of Foreigners on the Municipal Level under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior. It was followed by the Second National Conference of Statutory Cities entitled Current Challenges in the area of Integration of Foreigners in Authorities and local services (Min. 1 page ; Max. 2 pages) In this sub-section the researcher should provide a list of authorities and public bodies for which integration-related issues falls within their competencies and which develop policies or programs implemented at LOCAL level. The structure of the services in charge of integration should be detailed (i.e. number and places of offices and suboffices and geographic coverage). A map or chart can be inserted as an annex. As active at the local level, there are currently considered mainly the Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers (Integration Centers). Some of the municipalities are active to a very limited extent so far. Yet, at the local level, all Integration Centers must organize the platforms where all the stakeholders participate, including the municipalities, regional administration, NGOs, migrant organizations, Police, educational facilities etc. Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers The Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centre project, co-financed from the European Integration Fund, aims to create opportunities for long-term and strategic support of integration of foreign nationals. 4 territory- 4 Complete information can be found at (English version available). IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 10

11 Description of the map of the Czech Republic with the Integration Centers 5 : Orange color Integration Centers coordinated by the RFA MI Yellow color regions where the Integration Centers are coordinated by the NGOs White color regions in which the Integration Centers were not yet established 1.2 Local integration policies and programs (Min. 1 page ; Max. 2 pages) This sub-section should provide information about the main integration policies or programs implemented in the region or area by the authorities and local services mentioned above: type of programs, objectives, geographic scope, and profile of beneficiaries etc. The activities of the Integration Centers are following: Consulting and Information Activities in the following areas: Residence-related requirements Social aid and benefits Health care and health insurance Accommodation Labour market Education and schooling Various life events the birth of a child, wedding, death 5 Taken from the Integration centers website: IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 11

12 Legal Counselling The following can be consulted with the lawyer present at the Centre: issues relating to residence and visas labour relations Czech Language Courses Social and Cultural Courses essential information about the Czech Republic, particularly about its social and health care, as well as the educational system support in communication with the authorities and employers Internet Point and Library free internet access quick access to the latest information, e.g. job or accommodation offers The library offers newspapers and magazines in English, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and Chinese In 2010, more than 5000 people visited the Integration Centers. See Table 3 for the statistics of the target group from the Integration Centers. In the regions, where the Centers were operating for at least one year, the target group outreach in the regions was between 8 13,4% from the total numbers of foreigners (legal residence, long-term or permanent status). As concerns the Centers established newly, the percentage varies from 3,8-8,4% from the total number of the target group. These statistics are generated for new clients during the same year only, not repeatedly coming to the Centers. 1.3 Local governance on integration (Min. 1 page ; Max. 2 pages) In this sub-section the researcher should indicate the overall state of interinstitutional/official cooperation, as well as whether there is an established governance or lack thereof among the main stakeholders in charge of developing integration policies and programs in the region or area. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 12

13 The Ministry of the Interior as the main coordinator of the integration policy on the national level cooperates with the representatives of the regions, local governance, directors of the schools, platforms and other stakeholders. According to the representative of the MoI, the stakeholders on the local level (municipalites, local governance, city districts) are cooperative, the topic of integration is very new to them, so the cooperation is quite fruitful for both sides. The MoI also appreciated the cooperation on the local emergency projects. Once per year, there is organized a conference on local level where the municipalities gather and share experience. The disadvantage though is that after the elections, the new contacts might have to be established and the work has to start often from the beginning. The local Integration Centers cooperate with the national authorities, especially with the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the MoI. The cooperation is established also with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and their local labor offices. They also cooperate with the local authorities through the so called platforms in particular regions. There is a huge spectrum of partners to these regular platforms (local municipalities, regions, NGOs, Foreigners Police local departments etc.). In some of the regions, the platforms can be considered as a useful tool, in some of the regions there are possibilities for making this tools more efficient. Yet, the platforms have developed only recently with the establishment of the Integration Centers (and according to the interview with the representative of one of the Integration Centers) the stakeholders start to take up more active roles even within this platform. The system of cooperation at the local level is according to the representative of RFA set in quite effective way, yet it still needs time to develop certain networks. According to the representative of the RFA, at the local level, there are also some other stakeholders involved in the integration of foreigners such as the regional administration, yet these are rather exceptions (i.e. South-Moravian region is responsible for the management of the local Integration Center). Usually, the regions rather await the actions from the national level. The same situation applies to the municipalities. Some municipalities are very active (Pilsen or Pardubice municipality) and due to the objective reasons 6 they had to start being involved in the field. On the contrary, the capital city Prague and its municipality is still very reluctant, although the problematics is quite huge in the city. 7 Then, in such cases only the NGOs provide for services for the foreigners from the national or EU funding. Since the EU 6 Pilsen and Pardubice are the towns with high ratio of foreign inhabitants due to their industrial base. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 13

14 funding is available in the Czech Republic (EIF), the issue started to be dealt with in much greater extent than when only the national funding was available. This is a matter of the past three to four years only. 2. Relations between local authorities and migrant organizations [As an introduction to the second section the researcher should briefly provide an overview of how official authorities legally do or do not apply specific statuses/legislations to migrant organizations.] 2.1 Position of local authorities towards migrant organizations. (Min. 1 page ; Max. 2 pages) In this sub-section the researcher should indicate the position of official authorities in the region or area towards migrant organizations as stakeholders contributing to migrants integration. If not applicable because migrant organizations are not targeted by official authorities, please provide their position as it relates to NGOs in general. In this sub-section do not provide detailed information on concrete actions or initiatives from official authorities, this will be raised in the sub-section 2.2 below] The Czech legislation and public administration does not formally recognize migrant organizations (MOs). The Ministry of the Interior, Department of Asylum and Migration Policies though works with this term since it is commonly used on the international and EU level. Other ministries consider the definition of the general non-governmental organization as sufficient, although the Ministry of Labor would recognize migrant organizations among their NGO grant beneficients. MoI operates with the term of migrant organization similarly as defined by the Project, i.e. MO is an organization where significant part of employees has a migrant origin. Thus, MOs do not have a special status in the Czech Republic. From several interviews conducted, it is evident that there is a need for more information about the MOs among the public administration representatives, i.e. data and statistics about their activities, potential outreach on migrant communities, contacts. The interviewed representatives confirmed that it would be beneficial to have for their disposal the mapping exercise including the description of the MOs and their needs. The interviewed representatives stated that it is not usually easy to get into touch with these migrant organizations and that the contacts are often intermediated. One interesting point raised during interviews that the cooperation is also often based on one or two people from the migrant organization and if these key people are not any more involved in the MO, there is not much continuity for the already established cooperation. 7 The Integration Center in the Prague capital should hopefully be established during 2012 year. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 14

15 During the mapping exercise and interviews, it emerged that especially the smaller scale MOs do not present themselves in a way that would enable closer contacts with the public administration. They do not turn to the public administration directly. According to the interviews, the public administration also tried to enlarge their contacts with the MOs, however these did not reflect on their request sent. The network and communication channels are thus very weak with the MOs. On the other hand the public administration keeps contacts and mailing database only with those NGOs where the cooperation has already been established. The public administration and MOs would both benefit from deeper mutual contacts. MOs have thorough knowledge on their migrant communities which might help flexibly and effectively react at arising integration problems and challenges. In relation to the new integration Conception from 2011 and the MoI demand for proper monitoring of the migration and integration situation, the migrant organizations might be a source of updated and accurate information. All interviewed acknowledged that the migrant organizations have closer contact with their migrant communities. According to the Ministry of the Interior, non-governmental non-profit organizations play important role in the integration of foreigners. In frames of the integration policy, the NGOs activities in the area of supporting the integration of foreigners are sponsored from the state budget funds (subsidies from ministries), from the funds of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-country Nationals (EIF) and other EU or EEC funds. As per the interview with the representative of the Ministry of Labor, the MOs have the same rights and possibilities concerning state funding provided they have the status of NGO. Thus, the MOs can apply for grants and participate in the integration projects implementation, yet majority of smaller scale MOs do not apply for these since they do not have capacities, information, know-how, positive expectations on the results etc. Only the biggest MOs do very actively and successfuly participate on the grant system such as the Project partner Slovo 21, or InbazeBerkat, Oberig. There was also interesting point raised during the interview with the RFA proposing that it is a question if the MOs do not lose their added value which they have in front of their target groups from the communities once they get more institutionalized. The point is that often, the foreigners are in irregular position or require information which they would not get from the official institutions, thus if the MOs are more formalized, then they might not be that flexible IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 15

16 and reliable for their co-nationals. The RFA representative acknowledged that the potential of the MOs in the Czech Republic is definitely not used as it could be. The RFA would appreciate enhanced cooperation with these organizations, yet the representative of RFA said that it is a question if these MOs would like to get more involved with the state institutions. 2.2 Support and cooperation with NGOs and migrant organizations ((Min. 1 page ; Max. 2 pages) Here the researcher should provide an inventory of current or future initiatives developed by authorities at local level aimed at supporting the role of NGOs and notably migrant organizations working in the field of integration, and at establishing cooperation with them. If support or cooperation takes place also in other fields than the one of integration, please also indicate the initiatives. One of the good praxis examples that can be provided for the Czech Republic is the regular platforms organized in frames of the activities of the Integration Centers. These platforms gather various stakeholders, including NGOs and where possible, also MOs. The platforms are organized once per two to four months on ad hoc basis at the occasion of various issues arising or events organized. There are often solved not only general problems, yet also legislative changes. The partners from the platforms are informed on the new legislation which might be relevant to them. New topics are also raised in these platforms, so sometimes the platforms are organized along some topics such as Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic etc. Then, experts (for instance from the Police) are invited and the partners can consult with them topics of their interest. Also, the community planning is one of the topics. The RFA provides for the strategies for the local community planning which are discussed through the platforms. This involves also financial issues and available funding. According to the representative of RFA, the platforms can meet also in the working group on the case by case basis, should there be some urgent topic. Representatives from the MOs, where available, are invited to these fora. The platforms can be a very good meeting point for various stakeholders in the regions. Since the Integration Centers have been operating only in the past years, also the platforms have only developed, as well as the regional networks. They have different effectivity in each of the regions where the Integration Centers operate, depending on the active attitude of the local stakeholders and depending on the demand for the integration issues. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 16

17 In Pilsen region, the integration activities have been well established in the long-term. On the level of municipality, the integration activities started already in 2008 through emergency projects. In Pilsen, there was established Contact Center for foreigners by the municipality and they provide for counselling to foreigners, cultural activities etc. Besides, there are well established several other NGOs. Migrant organization of women-migrants was established during 2011 year. In 2009, there was established the Integration Center of RFA in the Pilsen town which covers also the whole region. Due to various actors in this region, the mutual cooperation is very necessary and the information exchange is attempted to be coordinated within an integrated forum such as the platform. In Liberec region, in frames of the platforms there meet NGOs, charity centers, educational institutions and public administration in order to exchange their experience, information and promote their activities. The Integration Center in Liberec cooperates in terms of subcontracts with the NGOs also in terms of legal counselling to the migrant community or socio-cultural courses. Slowly, there is evident change of the stakeholders attitude since these take up more active roles. Besides the organized platforms, the two interviewed representatives of the local Integration Centers in Liberec and Pilsen regions cooperate with the NGOs, including migration organizations especially in terms of cultural, sports events or multicultral activites (for instance multicultural evenings) which enable meetings of foreigners with the Czech nationals. There are organized also special activities in educational field, the demand is for socio-cultural courses, trainings on tax legislation etc. The Integration Centers alone cannot though financially support activities of any NGOs or MOs. 3.1 Financial support. Does the authority support these organizations, notably with public funding? If yes, to what extent? The NGOs activities in the area of supporting the integration of foreigners are sponsored from the state budget funds (subsidies from ministries), from the funds of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-country Nationals (EIF) and other EU or EEC funds. In frames of the integration activities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (who was responsible for the integration field and its funding until 2009), there were grants for NGOs and MOs. Currently, there is only EIF budget available for the non-governmental sector, subsidies from the Ministry of the Interior are not available after the economic crisis. Other ministries such as IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 17

18 Ministry of Culture or Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports have to their disposal very limited budgets on the integration of on foreigners issues. This poses quite significant problems to all NGOs in terms of searching for co-funding. The smaller scale NGOs, including MOs thus have very limited possibilities to fundraise. As most of the integration NGOs are based in Prague and the Prague municipality is not still too active, there cannot be searched co-funding even from the municipal authorities. The Integration Centers of the RFA also cannot provide for direct financing of these organizations, they can only support some ad hoc concrete event such as cultural activity organized in the given region or some particular service, yet RFA cannot transfer the funds to the NGOs. Besides the financial constraints alone, it ensued from the interviews with the MOs that although they can apply for grants, the majority of smaller scale MOs do not apply for these since they do not have capacities, information, know-how, positive expectations on the grant results, good command of Czech language etc. Only the biggest MOs do very actively and successfuly participate on the grant system such as the Project partner Slovo 21, or InbazeBerkat, Oberig. Thanks to EIF funding though, there are possibilities for financing of the structural changes in the integration field, as well as for fundraising from the side of the NGOs. Table 4 is annexed with information on funding of MOs from the EIF budget administered by the Ministry of the Interior. 2.3 Effectiveness of official authorities support and cooperation (Min. 1 page) In case examples of initiatives have been provided in sub-section 2.2, please indicate here whether and how official authorities establish mechanisms of monitoring and evaluation of these initiatives. Since most of the integration activities are currently funded from the EIF budget coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior, there are clear rules set on monitoring and evaluation system through this budget line. Refugees Facility Administration gathers also regular statistics on the target group and evaluates the services provided on regular basis. Also, the Ministry of the Interior representative confirmed that they do regular monitoring, reports, final reports and annual reports and that the Department of Asylum and Migration IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 18

19 Policy really works with these materials in order to set effectively the integration policy in the Czech Republic. The Department also provides for regular monitoring visits of the projects. 3. Recommendations 3.1 Recommendations to improve the contribution of migrant organizations in local integration programs and policies (Min. 1 page ; Max. 2 pages) [Based on the discussions held during the interviews with official authorities, the researcher should present here recommendations for official authorities, to improve the possibilities for migrant organizations to contribute to local integration processes.] Based on the mapping exercise of the migrant organizations conducted during this EIF ELCI Project, it proved that MOs have a great potential in the integration field. They have information on challenges and problems arising in the migrant communities and lacking information of their co-nationals in certain integration fields. MOs can transform the legal type of information from the state administration into the language which is understood by the foreigners. Usually, the representatives of MOs have gone through the similar type of migration experience as the foreigners did and therefore, they can better understand the situation of the migrants. As a result, MOs are contacted naturally by the migrant communities, notwithstanding the legal status of the migrants. Thus, the migrant organizations have a potential to also prevent various forms of social exclusion in those cases where migrants would not turn to official state institutions and their bodies. From the interviews with the migrant organizations it ensued that they have up to hundreds of clients per year turning to them with a request for advice, though they do not have any official projects for counseling financed from the public administration. The capacities of some of these MOs are thus surprisingly similar to the NGOs receiving regular funding for the counseling services. Definitely, their potential might be increased if they were regularly updated on the news in the legislation related to the integration of foreigners, and of course if they could devote more time to the integration issues as employees, not just as volunteers. The migrant organizations are often perceived as the interlocutors between the migrant culture and the host Czech society culture. Therefore, they organize various cultural events informing the Czechs about their culture and habits. MOs often participate at various multicultural events which are important tools for promoting mutual coexistence between the migrants and host society. On the other hand, the migrant organizations have not only IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 19

20 potential as cultural agents, yet also as the mediators between the migrant community and the public administration and also in information outreach towards the community. Their potential in outreach might be significant also towards those groups of migrants who live in rather close environment, who are in irregular position or with a tendency to social exclusion. Some MOs might be very good in street type of work, especially in information dissemination and counseling activities. In the Czech Republic, there is not yet much research done on the official type of information outreach towards the migrants and of NGOs and official Integration Centers outreach. Individuals from certain migrant communities or migrant groups (migrant women, youth, certain religious groups, unqualified labor migrants working under harsh working conditions, irregular migrants etc.) may not be accessed by official information and services. In these cases, according to the mapping exercise, it can be expected that the migrant organizations may play their important roles in prevention of social exclusion. 4. Example of a good practice 4.1 A good practice of cooperation, involving local authorities and migrant organizations. (Max 1 page) [The researcher can coordinate the selection of the good practice with the ELCI NGO partner in his/her country: one same good practice can be chosen for both country reports. In this section, one initiative/action (program, project, or other) that is regarded by the researcher, by local authorities or by other stakeholders, as a good or best practice, should be briefly presented. This initiative should be implemented at local level and should illustrate either: - an initiative/action implemented at local level jointly by official authorities and migrant organizations ; - an initiative/action implemented by a migrant organization and well supported by an official local authority ; - any other initiative/action involving both migrant organizations and official local authorities. Please see the good practice Next Door Family project of Project Partner Slovo 21 in the NGO report. Conclusion Conclusion (Max 1 Page) The conclusion will draw on the salient points of the report and make some general observations with regard to the following aspects: - The overall state of current and future competencies of local authorities on integration of migrants in the country; - The state of cooperation/governance at local level on integration policies/programs; - The current and future role given to migrant organizations by local official authorities. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 20

21 During the past years, the Czech Republic has become an immigration country with new migration and integration challenges. The integration policy in the Czech Republic had to adapt to the huge numbers of inter-year immigration, often from very distant source countries and it attempts to adapt to the new migrants with different socio-cultural backgrounds. As a result of the global economic crisis which affected to a large extent migrant population in the Czech Republic, the Czech integration policy had to proceed with the integration programs at the local level which had not been very active to that point. The public administration called for the emergency projects in certain regions where the migrant population was expected to be affected by the crisis. It was a well perceived attempt to transfer the integration policy at the regional level. Further, the Ministry of the Interior proceeded with the establishment of the Integration Centers in various regions of the Czech Republic through the EIF funding. Thanks to this budget line, the Centers were established in most of the regions in the Czech Republic and the local level integration policy is thus further strengthened. Although, the local stakeholders such as municipalities are active in the field to different extent depending on the location, establishment of the local Integration Centers was an important structural change in the Czech integration policy and praxis. Migrant organizations are also active to different extent depending on the migrant community and locality they are based in. Most of the MOs operate in the capital city of Prague, similarly as the majority of the other NGOs. Only few of the MOs are located in the regions. Usually, there is a cooperation established between the MOs and the local level authorities, especially with the local Integration Centers. The field of cooperation is often in the cultural field where mutual coexistence between the given migrant community and the host society is promoted. There is indeed greater potential of the migrant organizations to be agents of integration for their migrant communities, but also in the given locality in which they operate. It would be recommended to use the MOs potential in the field of information outreach, yet also in providing of the counseling services. Especially, their added value might be in the prevention of social exclusion of certain migrant communities with tendency to their closeness or of certain migrant groups. The Czech public authorities would welcome more cooperation with these migrant organizations, yet there is lacking information about their activities and contacts. The public authorities would welcome receiving the mapping exercise about these MOs which would enable for improved contacts with these potential integration agents. IOM France European Local Cooperation for Integration ELCI 21