The Integration Centre is a non-governmental organisation which is committed to the integration and inclusion of people from immigrant backgrounds in Ireland.

Integration as a theme for the Irish Presidency
Plans are in full swing for Ireland’s 7th Presidency of the EU to take place in the first six months of next year.

Killian Forde, CEO of The Integration Centre said ‘The presidency's function is to chair meetings of the Council, determine its agendas, set a work programme and facilitate dialogue both at Council meetings and with other EU institutions. This is an opportunity for Ireland to show that we are a strong nation, not only capable of recovery but leadership.’

He continued ‘the themes of the presidency are currently being decided. These themes will be a definitive indicator of what this government, as a representative of the Irish people, holds to be of most importance.’

‘Ireland has never been a country focused purely on economic gain. This Presidency needs to portray the commitment to social justice that in many ways defines this country.’

‘Whilst in the past Ireland has sent vast amounts of money to other parts of the world, the migratory nature of the global world means that we do not have to look far afield to address social justice issues.’

‘Tensions between communities around Europe have been played out on our screens in recent years, and the increase in racist incidents in Ireland in the recent past has also received widespread coverage; this Presidency could allow Ireland to show it has a handle on this burgeoning issue and best practice in integration.’

‘Ireland has put a number of positive strategies in place, for example a third of local authorities have created integration strategies specific to their locales and another third are producing or highly interested in producing integration plans. That being said there is major room for improvement and we would ask that Ireland makes immigrant integration one of the themes of the 2013 presidency in order to highlight this need.’

‘Integration creates social cohesion by actively putting in place processes which prevent people from being pushed to the fringes of society. It is only through equality of access to the fundamental structures of society like employment and education that societies can reach their full potential.’

‘If Ireland makes integration a theme of its upcoming EU presidency, it will not only shine a light on one of the biggest issues facing Irish society today, but also prove the commitment of this government to show leadership at the EU level whilst highlighting the commitment of its electorate to social justice.’

Notes:
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, the upper house of the European Union's (EU) legislature. The presidency is not an individual, but rather the position is held by a national government.