Towns lack policy on integration of immigrants

Most cities have no clear view of how to tackle problems involving immigrants. In the coalition agreements concluded after the local council elections of 7 March, policy on integration gets no further than vague aims, according to an analysis by the University of Amsterdam.

The university’s Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies made a study of the coalition accords in 30 towns, commissioned by Forum, the institute for multicultural development. The results, presented yesterday during a symposium, show that most accords put the emphasis on social cohesion.

“But how social cohesion should be achieved largely remains unclear,” according to the study. “General formulations on ‘participating and being part of’ have the upper hand, while concrete targets are often missing.”

Integration also receives little attention in the coalition accords. On average, 24 sentences are devoted to this subject, or 5 percent of the text of the entire accord. “This limited attention is in glaring contrast to the prominent role that integration plays in the national public debate,” according to the researchers.

“It may be that the urgency that is felt nationally is not felt at the local level,” added the researchers. “Perhaps political parties and municipal executives avoid the subject for fear of polarisation.” Other possibilities are that “parties and coalitions would rather not take a high profile on such a sensitive theme, that they have no views on it or that they are internally divided.”

Education is remarkably seldom seen as a means to counter segregation. “The limited attention paid to education in integration may be explained by the fact that the CDA (Christian democratic party) is part of 21 of the 30 coalitions researched. This party is little interested in countering educational segregation for fear of undermining the position of religious education.”

Source: NIS News, 23 June 2006