Prezentācijas sagatavota projekta „Imigrantu intereses pārstāvošo NVO kapacitātes stiprināšana” ietvaros. Projektu finansē Eiropas Trešo valstu valstspiederīgo integrācijas fonds. Projekta finansēšanas avoti - Fonds 75% un valsts budžeta līdzekļi 25%. Plašāk par projektu: http://www.providus.lv/public/27717.html

1. Spain’s Forum for the Social
Integration of Immigrants
Joaquín Arango
Complutense University of Madrid
Riga, June 2012
The conference takes place in the framework of the Project „Capacity building of NGOs
representing third country nationals” that is financed by the European Fund for Third Country
nationals (with 75% of funding coming from the Fund, and 25% from Latvian state budget).

2. Immigration in Spain in a nutshell
• A still young country of immigration
• A very rapid increase between 2000 and 2009
• A sizeable immigrant population (over 6 m. foreign-
born, 13% of total population)
• From four continents and dozens of countries
• Overwhelming preponderance of labor migration
• Increasing family migration, little asylum

3. Foreign Population, Municipal Registers, by Region of Origin, 1998-2011

4. An immigrant-friendly country
(in the European context)
• Immigration has met with a generally calm, quiet
reception
• Rather liberal immigration policies
• A low level of politicization
• Practical absence of populist, xenophobic right-wing
parties
• A strong commitment to integration at all levels
• A vigorous ‘third sector’
• Migrants have a large endowment of rights
• Good scores in MIPEX

5. The Forum for the Social
Integration of Immigrants
• It is the official consultative body of immigrant
population representatives at the national level
• It was established in 1994 in the then Ministry of
Social Affairs, as a piece of the first national
Integration Plan
• It is legally defined as tripartite and balanced
• Functions of consultation, information and advice
(widened in 2006, including mandatory consultation)

6. Composition
• 30 members, plus a President and a secretary
• 10 members from immigrant and refugees
associations
• 10 members from major NGOs (6), employers’
federations (2) and trade unions (2)
• 10 from public administrations (6 appointed by
ministries of the national government, 2 from the
regions, 2 from municipalities)
• Members are appointed for three years
• 2 Vice-Presidents

7. Composition
• A Steering Committee takes care of ordinary matters
and prepares the plenary sessions
• Four Working Groups, dealing respectively with:
a) legal matters, EU and international affairs;
b) employment and vocational training;
c) education and advocacy;
d) integration, participation and interculturality
• Funding and administrative support is provided by
the Ministry (including two full-time civil servants)

8. Selection and appointment
• The ten members from immigrant and refugees
associations should adequately represent the
diversity of the immigrant population in the country
• Appointed by the Ministry among the entities which
respond to a public call and after a selection process
based on the following strict criteria: a) statutory
objectives; b) a sizable presence in the whole
country; c) experience with projects in matters of
integration; d) efficacy and evidence of good
management; e) adequate structure and
management capacity
• Same for NGO’s representatives

9. Major capacities
• Mandatory consultation on any bill, decree, order, or
norm that has to do with immigration, integration or
related matters
• Putting forth, or channeling, proposals and
recommendations
• Producing reports and assessments for all sorts of
proposals and plans concerning integration
• Producing a yearly report on the state of social
integration
• Receiving information on all of the above

10. Influence
• Difficult to assess
• It is a respected body
• Public authorities are not required to respond to its
recommendations or appeals, but they usually listen
to them and take them into consideration
• The Forum provides a valuable framework and space
for frequent and close interaction and cooperation
among public authorities, immigrant associations
and NGOs

11. Influence
• Its influence is diffuse rather than highly focused on
specific issues or events
• But, as an example, it was very influential in
facilitating the participation non-EU nationals in the
2011 local elections, both by promoting solutions to
remove administrative obstacles and by spreading
information
• It is the foremost reference, as well as an asset, for
the host of similar institutions that exist in many
regions and cities

12. Advantages for the associations
• Being part of the Forum enhances the policy
influencing capacity of its members
• It increases their visibility and prestige, contributes
to their social capital, opens the doors of other
consultative bodies for them, and offers them an
array of contacts and opportunities
• It promotes mutual knowledge and facilitates
informal negotiation

13. A final caveat
• As attested by the experience so far, the
effectiveness of the Forum depends too much on the
stance of the government towards it, which in turn
very much correlates with its stance towards
immigration at large
• There are signs pointing towards a less favorable
stance than the one which prevailed between 2004
and 2011

14. Thank you for your attention!
arango@cps.ucm.es