Common European Asylum System in a Changing World

final). The Commission’s synthesis report identified four basic ideas shaping the integration policies of Member States: • respect for the fundamental values of a democratic society, • the right of migrants to maintain their own cultural identity, • a comparable standard of rights and obligations for both migrants and citizens, and • active participation of migrants in all fields of economic, social, cultural, political, and civil life. The Commission defined integration as a two-way process based on mutual rights and corresponding obligations of legally residing third country nationals and the host society . Such process shall provide for full participation of the immigrant. In 2004, the EU Council adopted the “Common Basic Principles for Immigrant Integration Policy in the EU”, in which integration was described as a “dynamic, long- term, and continuous process of mutual accommodation” which involves adaptation by immigrants and the receiving society”. Also, more recent Commission communications of 2011 2 and 2016 3 use the term process and explain that the process of integration involves a wide range of actors in different policy areas like e.g. education, employment, entrepreneurship, and culture. EU competences within the integration agenda As for the delimitation of competences between the EU and its member states, it has to be distinguished between different areas of migrant integration . The EU may influence the integration process most significantly by its measures concerning the admission of third-country nationals to the EU. The more liberal the regime for external border controls, asylum and immigration is, the higher will be the number of those who arrive to the Member States and need to be integrated into the host societies. So, how many third-country nationals will be admitted and granted residence on the territory of member states partly depends on EU legislation and its practical application. Also, in some other fields of migrant integration, the EU disposes of concrete competences and, for example, it may adopt legislation in the fields of social policy and employment. According to Article 149 TFEU, the EU may adopt incentive measures designed to encourage cooperation between Member States and to support their action in the field of employment policy . Such measures include initiatives aimed at developing exchanges of information and best practices, providing comparative analysis and advice. Naturally, such EU measures may relate to the employment of third-country nationals. However, it must be noted that EU action shall not lead to harmonization of national employment law. Therefore, the EU will rather rely on its traditional sectorial approach than on a concise and coherent concept of integration policy. On the other hand, some EU legal 2 Communication from the European Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions: European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals, COM(2011) 455 final. 3 Communication from the European Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions: Action Plan on the integration of third country nationals, COM(2016) 377 final.

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