On the occasion of the launch of the Portuguese version of MIPEX 2011, the British Council Portugal and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation held a seminar at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, on 27 April 2011, which aimed to reflect the state of integration policies in Portugal, acknowledging past work and highlighting main challenges for the future.
A short documentary film with random interviews of immigrants at downtown Lisbon, who answered questions related to the 7 MIPEX strands (Labour market mobility; Family reunion; Education; Political participation; Long-term residence; Access to nationality; Anti-discrimination) was shown before the Opening session.
The event had an audience of around 160 people, among whom the Portuguese Minister of the Presidency, the Gulbenkian Foundation President, the High Commissioner for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue, two former Ministers and other policy makers, representatives from Embassies, Municipalities, NGOs, several immigrants’ associations, Media, academics and students. The event could also be followed live on the web.
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – Av. de Berna, 45-A, LisbonWednesday, 27 April 2011
>> Around 160 people attended the event. Amongst them were the Portuguese Minister of the Presidency, the President of the Gulbenkian Foundation, the High Commissioner for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue, two former Ministers and other policy makers, representatives from Embassies, Municipalities, NGOs and immigrants associations, as well as media, academics and students. The event could also be followed live on the web.
<< A short documentary film with interviews of immigrants was shown before the Opening session. Interviewees answered questions related to MIPEX (issues around labour market mobility; family reunion; education; political participation; long-term residence; access to nationality and anti-discrimination).
>> Rui Vilar, President of the Gulbenkian Foundation, stressed the excellent collaboration with the British Council and the Migration Policy Group as an example of what can be accomplished in a networked society.
<< Gillian Caldicott, Director of British Council Portugal, also stressed the importance of the collaboration with all partners involved and the generous funding from external partners, mainly the European Commission.
>> Pedro Silva Pereira, the Portuguese Minister of the Presidency, gave a very positive speech in which he stressed the importance of the study and commented on the results in general and on the encouraging second place achieved by Portugal.
<< Jan Niessen, Director of the Migration Policy Group, presented the study findings.Also present were Isabel Mota, Trustee of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Abdool Karim Vakil, Leader of the Lisbon Muslim Community and Rui Marques, signatory of MIPEX.
>> Thomas Huddleston, Research Coordinator of the study, made a short presentation on how to use and play around with the MIPEX.
See Thomas's video explaining how MIPEX can be used for research in Part I of this user's guide for researchers on YouTube. Other videos by Thomas are available there, too.
There was a lively debate! From left to right:
The debate was moderated by António Vitorino (on right of photo), special Consultant for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and a former member of the European Commission, responsible for Justice and Internal Affairs.
Paulo Mendes, coordinator of PERCIP, an umbrella platform of immigrants’ associations
António Correia de Campos, former Minister of Health (2001-02. 05-08), now MEP, who made it possible for all immigrants (even undocumented ones) to have free access to the National Health Service
Roberto Carneiro, former Minister of Education (1987-91), now Scientific Coordinator of the Immigrants’ Observatory, who made it possible for all children of immigrants (even undocumented ones) to have free access to Education
Rosário Farmhouse, High Commissioner for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue.
Photos: Carlos Porfírio
How does MIPEX work?
MIPEX covers seven policy areas which shape a migrant's journey to full citizenship:
labour market access
family reunion
long-term residence
political participation
access to nationality
anti-discrimination
education
Best practice for each policy indicator is set at the highest European standard, drawn from Council of Europe Conventions or European Community Directives. Where these are only minimum standards, European-wide policy recommendations are used. Since policies are measured against the same standards across all Member States, MIPEX is a ‘benchmarking' tool to compare performance.
What’s the methodology?
148 indicators are used to gather data on migrant integration.
the indicators are updated by 7 scientific partners and answered and peer reviewed by over 150 independent national experts in 31 countries.
all data on laws and policies are sourced from official entities and documents.
the data is compiled by the Migration Policy Group to become the Index
What can you do with it?
analyse seven policy areas which shape a legally resident third-country national’s journey to full citizenship.
examine how policies compare against the standard of equal rights and responsibilities for migrants.
find out how your country’s policies rank compared with other countries.
track if policies are getting better or worse over time.
dig into real examples of how to improve policies.
use it to design and assess new laws and proposals on an ongoing basis.
The new MIPEX data was published in 28 February 2011 in Brussels as a paper publication and is available as fully-interactive online resource at www.mipex.eu.
What’s the history of MIPEX?
The first edition of MIPEX was published in 2004 and the second edition in 2007. The MIPEX has led to:
civil society action via assessments of proposed legislation.
hundreds of media features in the press in every EU Member State and internationally.
analysis in official documents of the European institutions, international organisations and global statistical studies.
debate and endorsements at the highest level including Ministers, Presidents and Commissioners.
What’s new with the third edition?
The third edition of the MIPEX covers more countries and more policies. With new analysis over time it can identify the changing trends in Europe. The third edition adds:
Bulgaria, Romania and the USA.
a new policy strand on the education of migrant pupils.
new indicators to match new EU standards on labour market integration.
new indicators on the implementation of policies.
Who are the MIPEX partners?
The MIPEX project is led by the British Council and the Migration Policy Group.37 national-level organisations, including think tanks, NGOs, foundations, universities, research institutes and equality bodies are affiliated with the MIPEX project alongside the British Council offices in 31 countries across Europe, Canada and the USA. The Gulbenkian Foundation is our partner institution in Portugal.
Together we collaborate to:
analyse trends and changes in migrant integration policy over time.
build recommendations to improve policies in all countries.
bring migrants into the debates to explain how policy changes impact on their daily lives.
build the capacity of policymakers, practitioners and advocates to use the MIPEX in their work.
Countries covered by MIPEX III Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA
Contact us:Amélia Mendonçae: amelia.mendonca@pt.britishcouncil.orgT: (351) 21 321 45 06w: www.mipex.eu
The MIPEX III is produced as part of the project: Outcomes for Policy Change, co-financed by the European Fund for Integration of Third-Country Nationals.
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