The European Migration Network (EMN) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have published the joint-inform ’Implementation of measures for civic training as an important tool for integration of third-country nationals‘, focusing on civic orientation courses for third-country nationals (TCNs) across 25 EMN Member and Observer Countries. These courses play an important role in integrating TCNs into host societies by providing knowledge and skills required for their social, cultural, and political participation.
Effective integration of migrants into the host society is a key challenge and a precondition to successful migration management. Nearly all the civic orientation courses reviewed include beneficiaries of international protection. In 13 of the responding countries, these civic training courses are aimed at all legally residing TCNs.
The content of civic orientation courses centres on four core elements: understanding the social, political, and cultural realities of the host country; learning the rules, rights, and obligations within the society; promoting integration; and ensuring access to equal opportunities. Countries like Estonia for example have adapted these programmes for specific target groups such as entrepreneurs, and students, further illustrating the tailored nature of these integration efforts.
