Key points for the development of adequate instruments
Concerning coordination at policy level, it is important to obtain cooperation between the various government and administrative levels, locally and federally, and at the international level (EU or UN). When it comes to the field, also the Ministry of internal affairs, the Education and the Development department etc. should cooperate to address these issues.
We need also to involve the stakeholders, such as the organisations working directly with the migrants, anti-racism organisations, “self-organisations”…
Such organisations should also be involved in the assessment and organisation of certain aspects of the policy. As to employment, the different associations have spokespersons that talk with governments and with immigrants that don’t easily find the way to social services. Working together with the people is very important. Above all, there should be a real involvement of them in the policy. Real consultations should be held.

Perspective on the current situation at policy level
There are two major subjects.
On the one hand, there is the integration debate and policy. It has to do with the position of non-indigenous people in our society.
-First of all, social-economic integration is essential. Education and having a job are important factors.
-In Flanders and Dutch-speaking Brussels, the focus is laid on the good mastery of Dutch. Of course, people should speak Dutch; otherwise, they won’t be able to integrate. That is one of the conditions of the integration module introduced recently.
-They also focus on a series of values. Even though, it is basically focussed on integration, it is often seen as assimilation. This is an unfortunate trend from our point of view. We have discussed this with several ministers. The policy itself has been drawn up by several ministries and this prevents the formation of a coherent policy.

-Integration is a matter for the communities and the regions, but there is a federal minister for civil integration and the fight against racism is also a matter for the federal government. Of course, local authorities have their role to play. The coordination of all this is the primary action point for the state and authorities.
-But within the authorities, the coordination is often a painful issue. Every minister has to enhance the integration of minorities within his specific domain. In practise, the coordination between the authorities is not always impeccable. If you ask whom you have to contact, it is often hard to find out who is responsible for what.

On the other hand, there is a policy and debate concerning migration.
There is no such a thing as a migration policy. We should rather talk about an “antimigration policy”. Belgium has halted migration for 30 years now. Thus, the only way for people to obtain some form of legal residence in the country is to apply for political asylum or to marry a Belgian citizen. This leads to the increase of both systems. Both procedures are abused, because people have no other opportunities.
Only recently a kind of migration policy is being implemented. Various players, such as employers, are suggesting the opening of our borders to employees from abroad. We are then talking about selective immigration, especially of highly skilled people. Other workers are not allowed to come. So the selection is based on the professional profile and country of origin. For example, citizens from countries that have recently joined the EU are allowed to fill in the existing vacancies.

To limit the migration policy in itself is coherent, but it is contradictory to the other policies. We wonder how and when they will try to reconcile all of these interests.

Apart from the lack of coherence and coordination, we also noticed that the debate on integration and migration is being completely separated although there is a clear link between them. A few examples:
Normally, the debate about integration is seen from a rather negative point of view. It has been pointed out that integration from minorities is proceeding very slowly. The whole debate about minorities’ is much more positive. It is related to the contributions of migrants to our economy, the solution for aging society etc.
In the Flanders, the integration debate boils down to the individual having to adapt to the language, values and standards in order to obtain any form of social integration. The integration debate however starts from an immediate economic feasibility. I just wonder how we will ever be able to reconcile both factors. The question is whether an effective knowledge of Dutch will be sufficient to integrate people. How will the economic newcomers fit in the integration system? People that are allowed to pursue economic activities won’t have to follow these integration modules. Will they learn Dutch very fast? Or will the government be more flexible and prefer employment above language skills? Remind that many immigrants have come here in an attempt to participate actively to the economic life.

Conclusion
This brings me to the point concerning the participation of the migrants in the country where they reside and the participation in the economic development of their country of origin.
In 2005, some of our organisations conducted a study with the World Bank concerning money being sent back to their country of origin. A lot of money are being remitted back to the countries of origine. There are networks between the various communities. Basically, I want to say immigrants are able to play a role in both countries. To sum it up, the phenomenon should be viewed from various perspectives, but coordination is crucial and fostering a common vision is essential in order to implement this coherent vision. If there is no vision at all, it is hard to implement a policy.

People should not only be assessed concerning profile or employability, but also on their integration. There should be a vision concerning society. Do we want a rigid type of society in which others have to adapt themselves, even if they have come over to make contribution to our economy? Or do we accept to pursue an economic policy that takes into account the various aspects of the integration and migration policy?

Even when we are fostering a common vision, it will be a challenge for us to develop a coordinated policy. What we haven’t discussed at all, is the difference between education and employability, the economic development of the country of origin, the coordination concerning social security, the involvement of the parents in education etc. Many questions have not been answered yet. Organising coordination between policy levels remains a inevitable difficulty.