Representatives of partner organizations from 22 cities took part in a partnership meeting as part of project CONNECTION - "CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration actiON". The meeting was held online on September 13 and 14, 2021 and presented the progress in the implementation of the project activities so far, as well as the forthcoming ones in the implementation of the long-term goals.

Municipal officials and representatives of the non-governmental sector from Antwerp, Athens, Dortmund, Madrid, Tampere, Thessaloniki, Stockholm and other partner cities exchanged their diverse experiences and identified both the best examples and the gaps in the work process. Speakers included representatives of organizations such as UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the Refugee Committee, DG REFORM, as well as the EUROCITIES project coordinator and the expert organization that facilitates exchanges between cities, MigrationWork. All of them noted the cooperation between the local authorities, the NGO sector, the business and the citizens as one of the most important approaches for quality integration and provision of services for the benefit of foreign citizens in a holistic way.

Sevdalina Voynova presented the experience of Sofia, noting that the shared practices from other cities were very useful for the work of SDA and shared the concept for the upcoming opening of the Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country Nationals in the capital.

Significant and fruitful were the sessions in which the partners from the 4 thematic practical communities (developing a strategic approach for integration, participation and interaction; involving the gender community in integration policies; building employment opportunities for migrants and designing a “one stop shop”) were divided and had the opportunity to consider and discuss the concept of creating "How to?" manuals, which will provide other cities with guidelines for effective work on the relevant topics.

During the discussion in community 3, working on overcoming obstacles to the employment of migrants, of which Sofia Development Association is a part, Sofia's experience in developing and implementing the action plan for establishing a Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country Nationals was proposed to be described in the “How to?” handbook as an example of building a working model with the support of the project.

The meeting also discussed the most appropriate ways in which partners can continue to communicate the topic of migration and steps for integration among the general public. In addition, the latest changes in the policies of the European Union on migration and integration were presented.

CONNECTION: CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action, is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.