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Dissemination Brochure
Three countries - One objective

Integration is the main principle of the European Union. This is not only with regard to economic and monetary political development in the European unification process, but it contains also many social and socio-political dimensions.

The principle of integration is not only of importance at the transnational, European level, but also on the national level: the integration of different groups, which has become more and more important because of migration within Europe, has to be supported by specific measures on European as well as on national level. The integration of disadvantaged groups (refugees, migrants, repatriated persons) into the labour market is of utmost importance.

The success of the project will also be compared with the integration process.

The project IN.LAN.DER was initiated with regard to the developments in the area of refugees, migrants and repatriated persons as well as in the awareness for socially disadvantaged groups.

IN.LAN.DER is a transnational project organised by three countries, led by the objective to support refugees, migrants and repatriated persons by measures for vocational training, social support, promotion of employment and awareness which allow integration into the national labour markets and therefore contribute to the social integration of these groups.

In the end of 1995 the following organisations started the transnational project «IN.LAN.DER» within the framework of the EU program «Employment/Horizon».

IMSERSO (Spain) Institute of Migration and Social Services, which is subordinated to the Ministry of Work and Social Affairs, provides social services to old people, handicapped, migrants and refugees.
K.E.K. M.I.T. (Greece), a private organisation which offers vocational training to disadvantaged groups, in co-operation with the Greek Ministry of Labour, and
HELPING HANDS (Austria), a private organisation which looks after refugees in legal and social issues.

The reason for the transnational co-operation of these three partners was the common perspective of meeting political and social challenges, which arose from migration in Europe, by means of new and innovative measures. With regard to the social integration of these groups, it is also important to counteract increasing xenophobia. The three countries? experiences have shown that sensible measures concerning the integration of refugees, migrants and repatriated people can be achieved by integration into the labour market.

In spite of the different target groups of the participating organisations (IMSERSO: Asylum seekers or applicants, displaced persons and refugees; K.E.K. M.I.T.: repatriated Greeks from ex-USSR; Helping Hands: Bosnian and refugees after the Genever Convention; see also pages 15-20), there are various common grounds and requirements concerning the tasks to be managed. Continuing exchange of experiences and intensive co-operation as regards conception, realisation and evaluation of the measures should provide valuable information for the continuation of the respective measures and should also provide important impulse for future measures in the area of integration of refugees into the labour market.

The transnational partners agree that measures for integration in the area of the labour market have to be preparation and realisation of vocational training and social skills, which improve and adapt the qualification of the target group and strengthen the professional and social scope of action of each single person.

If this foundation can be created, which is orientated towards the requirements of the labour market, the basis for social integration of disadvantaged groups is given at the same time.