The collection of best practices related to policymaking in the integration of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers is based on the research undergone by the SIRIUS project partners for Work Package 3. The examples do not provide an exhaustive list, and the list remains open for all stakeholders to provide more content by using this form.
The aim is to ensure that this remains a living community in which stakeholders can make each other aware of innovative policymaking solutions that can be adapted to various contexts to ensure a successful integration of newcomers on European labour markets. Keenly aware of the contextual differences, the SIRIUS project partners urge stakeholders to always consider the specificity of their situation before resorting to implementing any of the tried and tested practices from below.
1. Free, compulsory language courses
The importance of the free compulsory language courses for the integration
in the labour market is stressed by National Plan for Integration adopted in 2017 by the National Coordination Board. In the same perspective, within the so called “Integration agreement”, the DPR 179/2011 has introduced free compulsory language courses for foreigners. The lack of financial resources for the implementation of this policy has been noted. Each year, the Italian authorities invest only 21 millions of Euro for the language and integration courses, against the 240 millions of Euro invested in Germany. Adequate funding allocated to language courses is necessary to ensure that they can become free and compulsory, and can be accessible by all newcomers for the purpose of ensuring equality of opportunities.
2. Legal architecture combatting irregular labour to support policymaking
A starting point is ensuring that newcomers do not fall into the trap of the irregular economy, which implies the need for a strong reaction against any such illicit activities that would see the newcomers exploited. In the last decade, the Italian policies have aimed to contrast employment in the irregular market through a strategy of strengthening of the administrative and criminal sanctions (e.g. the Legislative Decree no. 109/2012, which, inter alia, imposed to pay the irregular foreign worker the social contributions and the full wages and provided for lawful employment, for a minimum period of three months unless the employer or the employee prove otherwise). Above all, the anti-caporalato law introduced in the Criminal Code the new crime of illicit intermediation and exploitation of labour. The anti-caporalato law puts the burden of pursuing non-exploitation on employers.