The ENIEC annual meeting in 2022 in The Hague, followed by the 2023 meeting in Gdansk (a two-part series), focused on migration in Europe, especially the movement from East to West, a topic more relevant than ever. In Gdansk, at the time of the meeting, over 20% of residents were from Ukraine, mainly because of the war. Meanwhile, The Hague has long had a large community from countries like Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Many of these migrants are likely to stay in their host country and grow old there, which raises important questions: what does this mean for society, how can countries prepare, and what can we learn from earlier waves of migration?
The meetings placed the experiences and views of migrants themselves at the centre. Nina Concoka, our colleague as ENIEC member delivered the opening speech at the meeting in 2022, where she spoke about migration from East to West. Her speech is here available. Local organisations in The Hague, such as POLKA-Centre for Polish Women and IDHEM (Integration in The Hague of European Migrants), played an important role. Their stories showed that successful integration starts with language skills, access to education and decent work opportunities, but also that it is important to make space for people’s own identity. The meetings also highlighted that ageing among migrants is becoming a growing challenge, requiring sensitive care and suitable social services. The main lesson is that migration policy should not only be about numbers and rules, but above all about people. Participatory approaches, where governments, social organisations and migrant communities work together, seem to be the most effective. In The Hague, for example, this is done by working with Eastern European organisations to provide language lessons and legal support. Gdansk showed how quick emergency reception can be combined with long-term perspectives for Ukrainian refugees. In the end, this exchange of knowledge and experience makes clear that migration has always been part of human history, but that a proactive and inclusive approach can create a better future for both host countries and migrants. The ENIEC meetings were a valuable platform to take this dialogue further.
