European Economic and Social Committee / in cooperation with

Section on Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship
Labour Market Observatory

Public seminar on
Integrating refugees into the labour market:
turning the crisis into an opportunity

Draft agenda

Monday 22 February 2016, 2.30 – 6 p.m.
EESC, Room JDE 62

1.30 – 2.30 p.m. / Registration of participants
2.30 p.m. / Opening
  • Krzysztof Pater, Vice-President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO)

2.45 p.m. / Session 1: Factors which influence a better and faster labour market integration
2.45 – 4 p.m. / Chair: Krzysztof Pater, Vice-President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO)
Presentations by:
  • Klára Fóti, Research Manager at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)
  • Geertrui Lanneau, Senior Specialist on Labour Migration and Human Development, Regional Office for the EEA, the EU and NATO, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • Claude Rolin (Belgium, EPP), Member of the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL)
  • Jean Lambert (UK, Greens/EFA), Member of the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL)
  • Christa Schweng, Rapporteur of the opinion SOC/532 on Integration of refugees in the EU (in preparation)
  • Panagiotis Gkofas, Co-rapporteur of the opinion SOC/532 on Integration of refugees in the EU (in preparation)

4 – 4.45 p.m. / General debate
4.45 – 6 p.m. / Session 2: Examples of good initiatives on refugees integration
4.45 – 5.30 p.m. / Chair: Krzysztof Pater, Vice-President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO)
Presentations by:
  • Giuseppe Iuliano, President of the Study group of the opinion SOC/532 on Integration of refugees in the EU (in preparation) and of the opinion SOC/525 on A European Agenda on Migration (adopted in December 2015) – Examples of good practices collected in the framework of SOC section's current work
  • Margit Kreuzhuber, Commissioner for Migration and Integration, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber – Initiatives of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber to better integrate refugees into the labour market
  • Marina Nilsson, Leader of the Project "Fast track to integration" – This project is carried out by the Swedish Hotel & Restaurant Workers' Union (HRF) and the Swedish employers' Association Visita in collaboration with public authorities and aims at swiftly integrating asylum seekers/refugees as restaurant chefs, while following language courses.
  • Julie Bodson, Manager of the Belgian social enterprise project "DUO for a JOB" – This intergenerational initiative allows asylum seekers/refugees looking for a job to receive a mentor aged of 50+ to help them find work or become entrepreneurs.

5.30 – 5.55 p.m. / General debate
5.55 p.m. / Conclusions
  • Krzysztof Pater, Vice-President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO)

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Venue:
Room JDE 62, Jacques Delors building, 6th floor
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Brussels

Interpreting: Participants can speak in: English, French, German, Polish, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish, and can listen to: English, French, German and Portuguese
Contact: , +32 (0)2 546.81.31

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