On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in the Small Council Chamber of Međimurje County, officials from the Croatian Employment Service, Međimurje Police Department, Social Welfare Office, as well as representatives of local and regional self-government units from Međimurje participated in the first of six planned trainings intended for public and local administration stakeholders, state administration officials, and local decision-makers who have daily contact with people of migrant origin.
The training titled “Introduction to Integration,” led by Lucija Mulalić from the Center for Peace Studies in Zagreb, was organized by Međimurje County and the Center for Peace Studies, which are Croatian partners in the EMV-LII project – Empowering Migrants’ Voices for Local Integration and Inclusion.
Today, every society or state faces the more or less intense arrival of foreigners and needs to design its own integration policy satisfactorily. Participants, each from their own sector, shared their experiences in working with foreign workers, third-country nationals, who are the target group of this project. They also discussed positive examples of integration from their environment, touching on important topics such as the integration of the Roma national minority and the inclusion of people with disabilities, which are supported by specific strategic frameworks and policies at the local and national levels.
The training covered key institutions, legislative frameworks, existing practices, and structural problems within the system, such as the lack of long-term solutions in all areas of integration, as well as the need for better cooperation and coordination between state administration bodies and local self-government institutions in ensuring conditions for integration. Participants expressed a desire to continue attending trainings, and topics and dates will be agreed upon later.
