UpdateFlemish Minister of Integration Bart Somers (Open Vld) is not in favor of a compulsory integration course for migrant workers. He answered that on Tuesday in the Committee on Domestic Administration, Equal Opportunities and Civic Integration to a question from fellow party member Tom Ongena.
At the end of March, Federal Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) argued for compulsory integration, because that way migrant workers would be better able to enforce their rights and files such as that of chemical company Borealis, in which many dozens of foreign employees turned out to be employed in poor conditions at a yard in Kallo, could potentially be avoided.
However, Somers is not in favor of such an obligation. “Firstly because it is not in line with the aim of the integration process: to support newcomers who reside here permanently, and secondly because it can contribute to a less competitive position with regard to our neighboring countries.” Moreover, labor migration is by definition short-lived, the minister underlined.
The minister, on the other hand, wants to focus more on specific information packages, with an emphasis on knowledge of Dutch, society, including social rights, and how labor migrants can fit into Flemish society. In addition, a new pilot project will start in the spring of 2024 on integration in the country of origin. This is specifically aimed at migrant workers.
In a response, De Moor states that many labor migrants do stay here for a longer period of time. “It is in the interest of these people themselves and of society as a whole that we give them the best possible start. Avoiding human dramas is paramount. Too many migrant workers are being exploited, I want solutions for that”, it sounds.
This theme will be further discussed at the Interministerial Conference on Migration and Integration on 7 July.
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