The National Plan on the Integration of Migrants of the Republic of Cyprus is being released for public consultation from today 15 October. The National Plan has been prepared on behalf of the Ministry of Interior. and its aim is to develop a comprehensive framework of all the activities that will be implemented in the coming years to facilitate the integration into the local society of Third Country Nationals legally residing in Cyprus. The content of the National Plan with 8 priority axes as well as the start of the public consultation, were announced today, Thursday, October 15, 2020 at a press conference in Nicosia.

The Civil Registry and Migration Department, as the competent department of the Ministry of Interior, monitors and approves the various stages for the preparation of the National Plan. Following the decision of the Council of Ministers, the Advisory Board on Integration of Migrants chaired by the Ministry of Interior, together with the participation of various governmental services, social partners, representatives of the local authorities and other stakeholders, monitors the implementation of the National Plan. The National Plan on the Integration of Migrants is being prepared as part of a project, co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Republic of Cyprus. Beneficiaries of the project are the consulting firms EEO Group and Opinion and Action, as well as the University of Cyprus.

The 1st edition of the National Plan is posted  today to inform the general public and to inaugurate the beginning of public consultations, in the form of events, dialogue meetings and feedback provided by stakeholders. These activities will be organized in such a way that by December, the 2nd edition of the National Plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Interior and afterwards for adaptation to the Council of Ministers in early 2021.

The content of the National Plan

The preparation of the 1st edition of a comprehensive National Plan on the Integration of Migrants includes, among other things, the analysis of the current situation in Cyprus and the conduction of an in-depth research on the needs of migrants, in the form of interviews and focus groups. The drafting of the Plan considered the general EU accession framework, as well as the international conventions governing the protection of human rights of legally residing Third-Country Nationals in the EU Member States. The extensive document of more than 150 pages also analyses the policy framework in Cyprus in view of the new Programming Period 2021 – 27 and defines 8 axes of intervention for the funding of projects and programs in the future.

This is the most important part of the proposed National Plan on the Integration of Migrants, as it includes measures and actions in support of the integration of migrants in the hosting society. The direct stakeholders are: governmental services, local authorities, non-governmental organizations dealing with migration and integration issues, international organizations, the communities of Third Country Nationals themselves, i.e. beneficiaries of international protection, legal migrants and asylum seekers. To achieve the objectives of the National Plan, a monitoring mechanism will be set up under the Ministry of Interior and the Civil Registry and Migration Department, and the Advisory Board on Integration of Migrants.

For more information:

Website: https://tcnintegration.com.cy

DETAILS OF THE 8 PRIORITY AXLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIONS

• 1η Έκδοση του Σχεδίου Δράσης
• Παρουσίαση – Εθνικό Σχέδιο Δράσης για την Ένταξη Μεταναστών
• ΔΗΜΟΣΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΗ ΔΙΑΣΚΕΨΗ – 1η Έκδοση Εθνικού Σχεδίου για την Ένταξη Μεταναστών Έναρξη δημόσιας διαβούλευσης
• Χαιρετισμός εναρκτήρια δημοσιογραφική διάσκεψη, Μιχάλη Μπέη
• Χαιρετισμός Προϊσταμένου Μονάδας Ευρωπαϊκών Ταμείων του Υπουργείου Εσωτερικών Κωνσταντίνος Κυπριανού στη Δημοσιογραφική Διάσκεψη για την 1η έκδοση του Εθνικού Σχεδίου για την Ένταξη Μεταναστών και την έναρξη δημόσιας διαβούλευσης