Barroso will Zugang zu EU-Integrationsfonds für Zuwanderer erleichtern[en] 

Although migrant integration policy remains primarily the competence of member states, the EU institutions have been weaving a common framework since the Tampere Council in October 1999.

Subsequently, the Thessaloniki European Council in June 2003 called for the creation of instruments for information exchange and benchmarking, including a network of national contact points on integration, annual reports on migration and integration and a "handbook for integration" for the benefit of policymakers and practitioners. 

In 2005, a European Commission communication integrated these instruments into "Common Basic Principles on Integration", adopted by EU leaders in 2004 during their Hague summit. The communication outlined a "Common Agenda for Integration" and made suggestions for future action at national and EU level. 

In 2007, based on the Commission's proposal, the European Parliament and the European Council agreed to set up an EU fund for the integration of third-country nationals for the period 2007-2013. 

Speaking during a plenary session of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Barroso said he would like to involve regions and municipalities more closely in measures relating to migration policy, as requested by a CoR opinion on a common immigration policy drafted by Werner Jostmeier (EPP/DE), chairman of the North Rhine-Westphalian Landtag's executive committee.

"An effective EU migration policy will only be possible if local and regional authorities are more closely involved. Unless we give local and regional stakeholders the resources they need, European migration policy will remain a dead letter," said Jostmeier. 

Providing education, boosting proficiency in the language of host countries and ensuring migrant access to social security systems places a particular burden on regional and local authorities, underlined Herwig van Staa, president of the Austrian region of Tyrol. 

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble reassured regions and municipalities that their recommendation be given proper consideration. 

"We need regions and cities as partners in EU immigration policy if we are to achieve tangible results. Dialogue with the Committee of the Regions is therefore important to us. We will take its recommendations into consideration in our debates in the Council," said Schäuble.

The EU fund for integration of migrants is part of a more general programme, 'Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows', and makes available €825 million for the period 2007-2013. €768 million is to be distributed among member states in proportion to their respective numbers of legal resident immigrants. €57 million will be invested in cross-border Community action. 

Speaking to journalists, Jostmeier noted that the fund would need to be upgraded in the future, but declined to give further details of the exact amount and procedure for this. "It would be a mistake at this point to draw a list of detailed criteria. But I just hope the EU will not come up with unworkable measures," he concluded. 

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said earlier this year that "achieving full integration and ensuring equal opportunities (of immigrants living in Europe) is one of the most important challenges of EU home affairs policy". He added that "intercultural dialogue is particularly important for ensuring stability and internal security, given the growing Muslim population in many (EU) member states". 

Schäuble keeps suggested earlier this year that EU states should train Islamic preachers so they could help integrate Muslims into European society rather than promote separation. 

Hubert Krieger of the Dublin-based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions explained during a recent European Parliament hearing that "Europe should learn from the experiences of some member states who introduced in previous years so-called 'guest worker' programmes without taking into account that the migrants would stay".