On 4-5 February the city of Cluj-Napoca (Romania) hosted the kick-off meeting of the European Pact for Integration (EPI). This is a project that brings together local and regional bodies from Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden, to develop successful intercultural integration strategies through peer mentoring and knowledge exchange. The project is funded by the European Union through AMIF grants. The Association of Intercultural Cities that runs the Spanish Network of Intercultural Cities is part of the consortium that lead the project. Participant cities include three ICC members: Cartagena, Lublin, and Ravenna.

The first phase of the project consists of assessing participants needs through an ICC Index review adapted to the EPI context. The results of the review will give partners a better understanding of the local context and will lay the base for further community tailored solutions. Next steps will involve 1) participatory processes for strategy co-design and co-implementation through Policy Design round tables, 2) public awareness about the new integration policies through official launching events, awareness raising events, and the setting-up of integration pacts in each partner city.