How Common Is Integration Policy in Europe?

The Lisbon Strategy states that before the year 2010, the EU shall become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, with the possibility of sustainable economic growth, with more and better work opportunities and a higher degree of social solidarity. It is no longer reasonable to believe that the goal will be reached before 2010. But it is crucial for the chances of EU ever reaching this goal, that more people become employed. The problem is that many people are still outside the labor market, in particular those who have a foreign background. The integration of these individuals is thus crucial for reaching the Lisbon goals and European integration policy must play a more important role in Europe. How can individuals with a foreign background be integrated on the labor market? Do we need a common integration policy in Europe in order to reach this goal? Does it matter if integration policy differs between various countries? Of what importance is it for Europe that we differ in this area? Can we not learn from each other’s experiences? The aim of this chapter is to answer these questions by emphasizing the importance of ethnic identity when implementing an integration policy. Integration is in many cases used as a conceptual antithesis to the concept of segregation. The concept can be used both at the level of society and at the individual level. A society can both be described as more or less integrated and the individual (or groups of individuals) can be more or less integrated. In this chapter, we consider integration as something that only concerns minority groups in society in their attempt at being accepted by or adjusting to majority society. We will study cultural integration which concerns whether the basic norms and values of majority society are adopted by existing minority groups and whether there is an openness of majority society towards existing cultures within the minority groups. We will also study economic integration which measures how minority groups enter the labor market. In this chapter, we define “immigrants” as those individuals who have a foreign background, notwithstanding if they were born abroad or in the country to which their parents had immigrated before they were born.