Integration in Cities in Germany and France

Joint organisers: French General Commissariat for Territorial Equality (CGET) and the German Federal Ministry for the Interior, Building and Community

Welcoming participants from multiple governance levels, this Policy Lab centred on migrants’ and refugees’ integration in French and German cities. Integration policies are central in the French-German political agenda, with the French-German Integration Council working to strengthen cross-national cooperation by exchanging good practices and identifying common solutions.

Through roundtables, national stakeholders discussed national integration policies, local integration, cities’ actions, and their interaction with other governance levels. This shed light on the two main urban integration policies in France and Germany, the “Politique de la Ville” and the “Soziale Stadt”.

Dedicated workshops then explored access to rights and anti-discrimination, language acquisition, urban renewal and citizen participation, and economic integration. Local projects from France and Germany were presented for discussion, facilitating exchange of integration policy knowledge and good practices to support their ongoing development.