Policy Briefs & Factsheets

#01 The role of Media in framing migration and contributing to migrants’ integration
11/09/2017

The mass media has an important role to play in shaping public attitudes, especially in times of economic crisis and social tension. It can either fuel or moderate existing conflict by the way it presents information, the language it uses and the conclusions it reaches. Immigration, for example, is a complex phenomenon and the knowledge of and attitudes to immigration are constructed by continuous information from the media. In principle, the media tend to display a negative and stereotyped image of immigrants. They focus on sensationalist presentations of immigrants (anxiety-producing), and use negative terminology and high-impact images.

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#02 Migration and the rise of populist nationalism and social tension
11/09/2017

Over the past twelve years, social tension between Europe’s national majorities and minorities (migrant or native) has been growing. European countries have become increasingly sceptical about their ability to accommodate ethnic and religious diversity. Meanwhile, the massive influx of refugees to Europe is the most serious crisis that the European Union has faced since its foundation. In many European countries, the refugee inflow has strengthened xenophobia, nationalism, political extremism and anti-EU parties. A central fear of European voters is that refugee inflows could overwhelm their countries economically. 

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#03 Citizen’s political participation in the European Union
11/09/2017

The sustainability of a democracy relies on citizens’ participation and considering citizens’ perspectives, aspirations and visions of their democracies. Nevertheless, over the past decade, many concerns have been raised concerning the level of participation and engagement of EU citizens in democratic life and procedures of the EU, as well as about the implications that a lack of civic interest and participation could entail.

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#04 Education as a principle pathway for integration of the post-migration generations
11/09/2017

The critical factors that influence the cultural and social integration of immigrant-ethnic minorities are the knowledge of the language and culture of the host society, complemented with frequent social interaction with members of the local population, recognising at the same time, that social and cultural integration is a two-way process. Education is therefore vital for integration, particularly with migrants who arrive at a young age and the ‘post-migration’ generations.

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#05 Youth unemployment in EU
11/09/2017

Europe’s future prosperity depends on its young people. Despite the unprecedented opportunities which modern Europe offers, young people face challenges in education and training systems and in accessing the labour market. This in consequence increases their risk of becoming unemployed or inactive, living in poverty, being socially excluded all leading to higher economic and social costs for society.

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#06 Social Entrepreneurship to Tackle Social Exclusion
11/09/2017

Rising numbers of people started to arrive undocumented into the European Union particularly after 2014. According to Eurostat, EU member states received over 1.2 million first-time asylum applications in 2015, more than double that of the previous year. A big problem after the arrival of migrants into EU countries has been their integration into the European Union society. The lack of employment not only causes economic distress to the migrants, but also keeps them separated from the local community. The concept of social entrepreneurship is gaining ground across the member states opening the path to also develop the skills in marginalized communities, including migrants and refugees. 

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#07 Ageing Population – a Demographic Challenge for Europe
29/03/2018

Europeans are living longer than ever before, and this pattern is expected to continue due to unprecedented medical advances and improved standards of living.

The demographic ageing within the European Union (EU) is likely to be of major significance in the coming decades. As a result of the transition towards a much older population structure the proportion of people of working age in the EU is shrinking while the relative number of those retired is expanding.

The challenges that Europe faces with the ageing population may be divided in two broad categories – the impact of ageing population on future economic growth and on the future of social protection systems in Europe. To tackle these challenges, there is a need for innovations in technologies, services and business models to turn the longevity into an asset for social and economic development.

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#08 Bottom-up and co-creation approaches for smart policy and governance policies
29/03/2018

Engaged citizens are at the heart of the smarter governance process. Citizens should not just be involved, but they should be driving the process, being the managers, they have an important role to play in contributing to the development and implementation of smart policies to better address the pressing societal challenges.

Citizen engagement refers to the practice of encouraging citizens to become involved in the community life and help shape the community’s future, whereas co-creation is a specific method on how to do so. It aims at bringing different city stakeholders together, with a set of offline and online initiatives, in order to jointly create a better city and future. 

The quadruple helix model, which brings together citizens, knowledge institutes, businesses and local government, capitalise on their potential as co-creator of social innovation and better policies.

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#09 Labour market in the EU and the rise of socio-economic inequalities
29/03/2018

The high unemployment rates along with the unequal accessibility to the labour market and the low chances for career development lead to the rise of socio-economic inequalities and threat the maintenance of social cohesion within the European Union. The financial crisis impacted on the labour market causing inequalities in terms of overall employment, type of job, gender distinction and youth employment and training. As a result, a percentage of 24.5% of the population of the EU-28, is already at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The continuous rise of these inequalities may lead to serious social problems, distrust within the society, increase in crime as well as in mental health related disorders. Tackling these inequalities remains a challenge for the EU.

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