The integration of migrants, including refugees, in many Member States of the European Union and Associated Countries remains a challenge for both public authorities and local communities. REBUILD project co-hosted the Joint Migration Policy Roundtable 2020, a 3-day closed online event organized by the 6 projects funded under the call H2020-SC6-DT-MIGRATION-06-2018-2019. REBUILD, NADINE, MICADO, WELCOME and EasyRights are Horizon 2020-co-funded initiatives who work towards the development of ICT-enabled solutions and toolkits for the implementation of inclusion policies by public administrations.

As efficient and effective migrants’ integration can only be achieved by clearly understanding the migrants' personal and family situation, but also by involving all key actors, such as researchers, practitioners, experts, public authorities, civil society organizations and migrants, the 6 projects apply a participatory co-creative interdisciplinary approach in the design and provision of tools and services.

In this context, the 6 initiatives, together with their responsible project officers from the Research Executive Academy successfully hosted a closed Policy Roundtable event, targeted at the six projects consortia, their Expert and Advisory Boards and representatives from the European Commission, to tackle 3 key synergy pillars – the ICT component, the co-creation approach and the role of public authorities and policy makers in the delivery of digital public services to the migrants.

These were the subjects of the three dedicated sessions:

1. How can ICT support integration and digital public services delivery to migrants on a local level and what does that mean for the European digital transformation?
2. Can co-creation and participatory designs be successful approaches for developing tools and digital public services for migrants?
3. How can we improve the collaborations between policy makers and public authorities for supporting migrant integration and delivery of digital public services to migrants?

All three closed sessions were heavily attended. Policy recommendations were offered taking into account the particularities of the migrant population and their needs. Specific challenges for implementing actions across Europe were also addressed. Lively discussions took place, expounding fresh approaches for alleviating some of the issues arising in the three sessions.

Finally, and most importantly, there will be a Migration Policy White Paper released from the deliberations of the Workshop that will be publicized shortly.