On 2 April, during the 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, a debate on migration highlighted a strong conviction: in the face of global dynamics, the most effective responses are developed at local level, as close as possible to citizens.
Fatma Şahin, Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Gaziantep (Türkiye) and recipient of the Europe Prize, shared her city’s experience of hosting nearly 500,000 refugees following the Syrian conflict. Thanks to a proactive social policy, these communities have been successfully integrated into the local economy. She emphasised that many of them are now becoming ‘ambassadors’ in the reconstruction of Syria, whilst some are beginning to return.
Elena Carletti, Chair of the Commission for Equal Rights and Opportunities of the Emilia-Romagna Region, stressed the importance of investing in integration. In her view, policies on training, housing and social protection are less costly than exclusion, which is a source of tension and insecurity. She called for better foresight in migration policies, drawing on initiatives such as Pléiades and Common Ground in Italy.
Driven by strong engagement from the youth delegates, the debate also highlighted the need to recognise the economic, social and cultural contribution of migrants in order to counter hate speech. In a fragile international context, local and regional authorities appear more than ever to be on the front line, where concrete responses and sustainable resilience are built.
***
