Unitee will participate in the conference held by The European Network of Migrant Women at the European Social and Economic Committee about the socio-economic integration of migrant women. This is the final conference of the project Smart Volunteering for Female Migrants a multiagency cooperation project, between civil society, business community and highly skilled migrant women in five European states.
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The European Summit of Refugees and Migrants took place from the 4th to the 6th of May 2019 in Brussels.
The event has been a priceless occasion for migrant and refugee advocates to meet and discuss current challenges and opportunities with other advocates and stakeholders and to coordinate efforts in their work.
The final day was specifically conceived to host a multi-stakeholder forum. The aim of the day was to convene allies who could work with the refugee-led groups represented to make cross-sector commitments to improving the lives of refugees in Europe, and beyond.
The primary objective of this meeting is to convene migrant-led and refugee-led organizations and migrant/refugee change-makers from all Europe to gather and discuss their lived experiences and propose solutions for more effective and sustainable EU migration and refugee policy. The Summit is an opportunity for participants to
(i) Build a European coalition of refugee-led and migrant-led advocates capable of influencing EU agenda and decision-making on refugee and migrant policies
(ii) develop joint recommendations to improve EU policies on refugee/migration and agree on a road map of future activities including capacity development program of the advocates
The final product of the summit will be a policy paper to be presented later on in several official occasion on all the major policy platforms in Europe.
On Wednesday 27th September, UNITEE – The New European Business Confederation hosted the high-level roundtable “Building bridges: the role of New European Entrepreneurs in the European Neighborhood policy“. The roundtable was organised as part of the constant work of UNITEE to contribute to establish a positive narrative of migration. In this regard the topic chosen, at the crossroads between economy, migration and development, is of a particular interest in the framework of the currently discussed European Economic Diplomacy Strategy, together with its wider efforts to stabilize its neighborhood.
The event, set in the intimate setting of UNITEE’s office in Place du Luxembourg 2, 1050 Ixelles, took place from 12.30 to 14.30. It was an opportunity for policy makers, practitioners and experts to debate on the important role migrant entrepreneurs can have in contributing to the political strategies of the EU in the relations with its neighborhood, if given the chance. The speakers were called to reflect on questions such as: Is there really a positive effect of New European entrepreneurs on their country of origin? How could the European Neighbourhood Policy take advantage from the engagement of New European entrepreneurs in order to pursue its long-term objectives of stabilisation and economic growth?
The roundtable started with an opening remark by MEP Brando Benifei, from the S&D group. Mr Benifei drew on his experience as Rapporteur for the labour market integration of refugees to remark the important contributions New European entrepreneurs give to the European economy and society; he pointed out that in some countries, such as his native Italy, from 2011 to 2015 migrants have been disproportionately creating jobs and companies. For this reason, Mr Benifei argued that this contribution needs to be acknowledged and fostered by national and European institutions: he called for unnecessary burdens to be scrapped, together with suggesting the possibility of using the Blue Card directive to help entrepreneurs from abroad to launch their business in the EU.
After Mr Benifei’s introduction, the roundtable started with an intervention by Christophe Yvetot, the Director of UNIDO‘s Brussels Office. Mr Yvetot presented the role of his organisation in focussing on industrial development, with the objective of bringing about sustainable development, circular economy, and renewable energies in developing countries. He pointed out that the strategy behind these actions is connected to migration, since it aims to stabilise people in their countries of origin: indeed, data showed that industrial development had an unparalleled role in reducing poverty. In this, he mde a specific reference to the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), showing how UNIDO is collaborating with the EU to develop the Euro-Med industrial cooperation. Finally, he explained the two parts of UNIDO’s approach to migration: first, to provide opportunities; and secondly, to bring about circular migration.
After Mr Yvetot, it was the turn of Geertrui Lanneau, Senior Senior Regional Specialist on Labour Mobility and Human Development for the IOM Regional Office for the EU to present her remarks. Ms Lanneau began her remarks by noting the great entrepreneurial drive of migrants: 25% of all entrepreneurs in the UK, for instance, have a migrant background. This is part of a wider set of contributions diasporas have, both in Europe and in their countries of origin: first of all, they bring development and wealth to their countries of origin, through remittances. Secondly, they also contribute socially: in Europe, they create jobs; in their countries of origin, they bring skills and know-how. Nevertheless, Mrs Lanneau noted that this second contribution is somewhat limited by the fact that even many New European entrepreneurs find it hard to invest into their countries of origin, due to corruption and red tape. Finally, she mentioned the relevant role female entrepreneurship can play, and the need to support it through projects such as IOM’s MIDA program.
The next speaker was Giacomo Mattinò, Head of Unit Enterprise Network and Internationalisation of SMEs, DG GROW, at the European Commission. Mr Mattinò focussed his intervention on the tools DG GROW provides for the internationalisation of SMEs and, in general, to create an environment conducive to entrepreneurship in the EU. In general, the European Commission does not distinguish among entrepreneurs: all can apply. First of all, he referred to the Enterprise Europe Network, that aims at supporting SMEs in their ventures abroad: this is made even more necessary by the fact that 90% of European SMEs export beyond their borders. Another tool to foster entrepreneurship is the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, that provides the possibility for aspiring entrepreneurs to spend some time abroad in order to learn a business.
Finally, the roundtable was closed by Adem Kumcu, President of UNITEE. In his remarks, Mr Kumcu drew on his personal experience to provide an overview of the activities, and challenges, of organising migrant entrepreneurs and advocating for them at the European level. He noted that the correct engagement of migrant entrepreneurs is strategic for the EU: only by easily integrating and making the best use out of the diversity of New Europeans, will Europe be able to meet today’s challenges, ranging from an aging society to an increasingly competitive economy. Dr Kumcu also presented some initiatives undertaken in the past by UNITEE with the aim of favouring this engagement, such as its cooperation with the Union pour la Méditerranée and its partnership with UEAPME.
In general, the event showed the many different aspects in which New European entrepreneurs have an important, and currently undervalued, role to play in the relationship of the EU with its wider neighborhood. In the current situation where a successful and long-term integration strategy is more and more important, acknowledging the opportunities migrant entrepreneurs hold is a first step for a more sustainable future for Europe.
Programme of the event
When: 12.30 – 14.30
Where: Place du Luxembourg 2, 1050 Ixelles
12.30-12:50: Welcoming of participants and light lunch
12:50-13:00: Opening Remarks by Brando Benifei MEP (S&D, Italy)
13:00-14:10: Roundtable with the following speakers:
Moderated by Giovanni Collot, Editor of The New European magazine
14:10-14:30: Q&A with the audience
More information on the roundtable can be found on Twitter, under #buildingbridges.