News
Migrations Programme - [12/14/2006]
“Experiences concerning immigration must also be unified on an international scale”
Imma Moraleda, President-Delegate of the Area of Equality and Citizenship of the Provincial Council of Barcelona pointed out the importance of local administrations in the management of immigration in the inauguration of the 4th Immigration and Europe Seminar. Immigration and Local Government: Experiences and Challenges. This event, organised by the CIDOB Foundation Migrations Programme and the Diversity and Citizenship Policy Service of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, was held in the Hotel ACEVI Villarroel in Barcelona.
In her intervention, the President-Delegate highlighted “the necessary commitment and involvement of the whole society to foster integration, as well as cohesion and coexistence”.
Following her, Narcís Serra, President of the CIDOB Foundation, reminded the audience that the seminar combined immigration and the local world, “which in English terminology could be characterised as ‘glocal’ (global + local) or intermestic (international + domestic)”. He also affirmed that “it is clear, precisely, that it is difficult to integrate global thought and local action”.
CONCLUSIONS
During the concluding remarks of the seminar, Oriol Amorós, Secretary for Immigration in the Generalitat of Catalonia, stated that society must accept immigration as a fact. “We must not enter into debates on dark or rosy visions, but rather manage the phenomenon as a reality.”
Finally, Amorós pointed out the need to combine coexistence with identity relationships. “We are a diverse society. The Catalan language should serve as a bridge of acceptance, in a framework of respect interest and knowledge of the official languages of the receiving societies”.
In its fourth year, the Immigration and Europe Seminar. Immigration and Local Government: Experiences and Challenges analysed the competence framework and institutional framework of immigration policies in Europe. In addition, during the sessions the real challenges that this phenomenon poses for local governments were identified.
In addition to the interventions by Narcís Serra, Imma Moraleda and Oriol Amorós, the seminar featured Albert Serra (advisor to the CIDOB Foundation Migrations Programme); Teresa Llorens, Head of the Diversity and Citizenship Policy Service of the Provincial Council of Barcelona; Marianne Dekker, Director-General of the Department of Youth, Education and Society of the City Government of Rotterdam (Netherlands); Irene Graham, Councillor for Integration in the City Government of Glasgow; and Ramón Sanahuja, Director of the Technical Cabinet on Immigration in the City Government of Barcelona; among other Spanish and European experts.
See programme: (pdf 61kB)
