On the Agenda 28 November – 4 December

See our collection of relevant events, conferences, and meetings taking place next week. Tune in to them to stay updated on EU developments.

 

European Parliament Committees Meetings 

 

Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) 

Monday 28 November         15:00

Wednesday 30 November   9:00/15:00

Thursday 1 December         9:00

 

Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)

Wednesday 30 November 10:30-12:30  14:30-18:30

 

Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) 

Monday 28 November 15:00 – 18.30

Tuesday 29 November 9:00-12.30   14:30-17.30

 

Civil Liberties, justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) 

Wednesday 30 November   14:30- 18:30

Thursday 1 December   14:30-17:30

 

Council of the European Union Meetings

28 – 29 November Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council

Thursday 1 December Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry)

 

Monday 28 November 

SME Assembly 2022

Prague, Czech Republic/Online

The 2022 SME Assembly will take place from 28 to 30 November 2022, together with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The event will take place in Prague, with the option for additional delegates to attend online.

The assembly will feature high-level panels and interviews, expert round tables, interactive workshops, informative masterclasses and numerous networking opportunities. These will help stimulate Europe’s enterprises and equip them with the right tools for the transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

See the official programme

 

LifeLong Learning Week 

28 Nov – 2 December, Brussels

The LLLWeek aims to raise awareness on lifelong learning’s capacity to answer many challenges of modern societies. The LLLWeek has over time become a milestone in the European education agenda, thanks to the support of civil society actors and Members of the European Parliament. The idea is to bring together learners and educators, field workers and policy-makers, researchers and political representatives, and give them the opportunity to discuss today’s greatest educational challenges.

 

Community-led initiatives and the European Green Deal

14:30-17:30, Online

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and ECOLISE will hold an event in the context of the annual Communities for Future Week, a week-long series of events at EU, national and regional levels that will explore how best to support ongoing work led by communities on climate change and sustainability in Europe.

 

European Ideas Forum 

The event will be livestreamed here and on YouTube.

The European Ideas Forum returns featuring a live audience for the first time since 2019, this edition brings together policymakers, industry leaders and academics, to focus on key challenges facing Europe over two days of stimulating discussions.

 

Tuesday 29 November 

The future of democracy in Europe

Paris

The Workers’ Group is organising a conference in Paris, at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, focusing on the issues of persistent discrimination in Europe and how to tackle it and the challenges and opportunities of participatory democracy for the EESC.

 

Wednesday 30 November 

152nd Cor Plenary Session

30/11/2022 : 15:00 (CET) – 01/12/2022 : 19:00 (CET)

Charlemagne Building – GASP room (Brussels)

 

New waves of migration: are developing countries ready?

15:00 CET,  Paris

Migration needs to take a front seat in development agenda’s moving forward. Migration boosts the number of people of working-age in a country, helps to fill shortages and diversifies economies, which can encourage more trade and investment. Yet, global development agendas have, up-to-this-point, failed to adequately integrate the role of human mobility into country strategies for growth and wellbeing.

Can developing countries turn the tide and take full advantage of the new waves of migration as a driver of development?

This #DevTalks is being held in the framework of OECD Development Centre’s 60th Anniversary Dialogues (#DEVat60)

 

UNITEE at the European Business Summit 2022

speakers on the stage of the European Business Summit 2022

From 16-17 November 2022, UNITEE attended this year’s edition of the European Business Summit (EBS) that took place at the Egmont Palace in Brussels. The theme of the event was “Towards a greener, more integrated, and secure Union?”, exploring the twin transitions in light of recent economic instability.

The event featured panel discussions and interviews with policymakers and representatives of the private sector. The list of participants included 250 high-level speakers, such as Margarete Vestager, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, and Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice.

The mission of the annual European Business Summit is to promote a dialogue between EU decision-makers and businesses, showing how businesses can contribute to solving some of the pressing issues in contemporary Europe and beyond.

This year, much of the program focused on the green and digital transitions’ effects on the energy sector. In addition, some panel discussions featured the topic of SMEs and the ongoing challenges posed by the inflation and energy crisis.

See the full program and the recording of each session here.


Discussing European perspectives on migrant entrepreneurship at CREME’s annual conference

On 10 November, UNITEE, as a partner of the MILE project (Migrant Integration through Locally designed Experience) , joined the 26th Annual Conference of CREME (the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship) to host a session on “European Perspectives on Migrant Entrepreneurship”.” CREME is one of MILE’s local partners in the UK, together with the Birmingham City Council and Ashley Community & Housing LTD, a service provide for migrants and refugees.

The session focused on the challenges and opportunities for the inclusion and growth of migrants and refugees through entrepreneurship, with the contribution of speakers from Madrid, Athens, Utrecht, and Amsterdam.

Dr. JuanFra Alvarado Valenzuela, researcher and educator in entrepreneurship at the University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam, presented his key findings on the migrant entrepreneur community in the Dutch capital. Valenzuela brought interesting insights on several key topics related to migrant entrepreneurship, from the importance of family ties that often create transnational networks to the lack of role models for migrant entrepreneurs. Amsterdam represents a unique case due to its vibrant entrepreneurial culture and diversity. Diversity in migration, as Valenzuela highlighted, is often considered from the point of view of the country of origin, but it can be seen in many more indicators (e.g. place of residence, age or gender). For this reason, migrant and refugee entrepreneurs are themselves the “diverse group”, in comparison to the local context. 

When it comes to the integration of migrant entrepreneurs, one question that immediately comes up is: How does this diverse group interact with the local social fabric, especially the network of local entrepreneurs? The level of connection between them is uncertain but the situation has evolved in recent years. Gradually, local and migrant entrepreneurs seem to have established a certain degree of interaction, whereas just one or two decades ago they were worlds apart. 

The second speaker of the session was Dr Leendert de Bell, professor for sustainable labour participation of refugees at the Research Centre for Social Innovation (University of Applied Sciences Utrecht) and academic staff member at the Centre for Entrepreneurship (Utrecht University). De Bell has also been involved in the development and implementation of the entrepreneurship program at ‘Plan Einstein’, an initiative aiming to facilitate  the integration of refugees in Utrecht. 

Plan Einstein is a project which aims to connect residents of the Utrecht Asylum seekers centre and local communities. Within the project, various activities are organised for, by, and with migrants and refugees, in an effort to connect groups that often do not have a space and a chance to meet. Plan Einstein started in 2015 as a response to the growing number of refugees arriving in Europe. The project was launched, with the support of European funds UIA and ERDF in  2016.

One of the activities organised by the project are entrepreneurship courses, open to locals and refugees, to offer participants knowledge, contacts and skills to set up a business. In 3 years, over 200 participants took part in the training. Nevertheless, refugee and asylum seekers who approached the course had to overcome several obstacles related to the lack of knowledge of the specific local market, network, and access to finance. Many of the refugees also had no whatsoever experience related to business, as they were often employed in the public sector in their country of origin. However, these training proved to be an innovative and effective way to include newcomers and connect them with locals.

Meanwhile, Antonina Melody Casino, member of DIWATA (Determined Independent Women in Action for Total Advancement)  shared her experience as a migrant woman and  teacher at the Munting Nayon Cultural School in Athens, Greece. Munting Nayon is a multicultural school established by the female Filipino community back in 1994. Despite limited resources, it attempts to meet the needs of migrant parents working full-time. During its first years, Munting Nayon mostly welcomed children of Filipino migrants, but gradually evolved, becoming a multicultural school. Mr. Casino highlighted how initially their work was hampered by locals until being asked to shut down, but thanks to the support from privates and NGOs they were able to keep running.  Munting Nayon Cultural School, being an example of solidarity and social entrepreneurship, now welcomes children of migrants from Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Eritrea), Asia (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Philippines) and the Balkans (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine).  

Jennifer Riveiro Ilende closed the session by giving an overview of the situation of migrants in Spain. As a migration and immigration lawyer she is exposed daily to the struggles migrants face as they try to settle in Spain. From legalising their status to finding a job, newcomers are faced with many hardships.  Mr. Riveiro set up a law firm, ILENDE&Partners, to help migrants settle in Spain including by starting their businesses. 

Some of the obstacles migrants may face when starting a business are related to the high rate of taxation to which businesses are subject, bureaucracy and language barriers. The most vulnerable group of third country nationals in Spain is represented by North Africans; the procedures to have their status legalised, a prerequisite to start working and thus integrating, are very long and complex.

The stories and first-hand experiences of the four speakers complemented the insights shared during  the conference which included sessions looking at the value of ethnic minority entrepreneurship, diaspora entrepreneurs as international trailblazers and crisis and renewal in key sectors. CREME’s work and events such as these are crucial when advancing the debate on the role of migrant entrepreneurship in our societies. 

On the Agenda 21 – 27 November

See our collection of relevant events, conferences and meetings taking place next week.
Tune into them to stay updated on EU developments.

Plenary Session of the European Parliament 

21 – 24 November 2022

Strasbourg, France

Agenda available here.

General Affairs Council (Cohesion) – Council of the European Union 

22 November 2022

Agenda available  here.

European Economic Area Council – Council of the European Union

23 November 2022

Agenda available here.

 

OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development (GGSD) Forum 

22 – 23  November 2022 

OECD Headquarters, Paris 

The 2022 OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development (GGSD) Forum will discuss how recent developments affect mission-oriented approaches for green innovation and the role that low-carbon hydrogen and the bio-economy sectors could play in a sustainable recovery. It will also discuss the specific challenges and opportunities faced by SMEs, and the lessons learnt from the international scientific co-operation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) efforts to address environmental degradation.

To attend the event online, register here.

 

SIRA Transnational Conference: Strengthening and Expanding Social Orientation and Integration of Newcomers in Rural areas

European Committee of the Regions 

23 November 2022

The European Committee of the Regions will host a Share SIRA Transnational Conference on ‘Strengthening and Expanding Social Orientation & Integration for Newcomers in Rural Areas’. This one-day event is organized by the Share Network, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) Europe and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The conference will present the main results and the lessons learned from the AMIF-funded SIRA project, which has piloted innovative integration actions and used multi-stakeholder approaches to strengthen migrant & refugee inclusion in 10 rural regions in France, Greece, Poland and Spain in 2021-2022.

The aim of the conference is to explore the conditions for successful social orientation and integration in small and rural communities, and to highlight inspiring bottom-up practices and link them to research and policy frameworks. It will bring together representatives from EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities, civil society and refugee/migrant-led organisations, academia, the private sector and grassroots stakeholders to further discuss how to promote the participation of communities and newcomers, as well as to strengthen synergies between integration and rural development strategies.

 

Digital SMEs General Assembly

European Digital SME Alliance

24 November 2022

10:00 – 13:00 CET, Brussels 

The event will feature European Commission´s high-level representatives, who will award innovative SMEs selected from the ‘Get Digital: Go Green & Be Resilient’ initiative. It will be a great opportunity to meet with the most innovative companies in Europe, including Too Good to Go and Back Market, and to learn more about the European Green Digital Coalition, unleashing the power of SMEs in the twin transition.

 

Diversity of Migrant Women – How to improve labour market integration of migrant women? 

European Migration Network 

25 November 2022

Women account for around 50 per cent of migrants in Finland. Migrant women form a diverse group having different reasons for migrating and different personal attributes: women arrive to Finland as family migrants, labour migrants, students, asylum seekers, refugees, and beneficiaries of temporary protection. Despite of their different backgrounds, migrant women seem to face the same obstacle: it is challenging to gain access to the Finnish labour market. One of the key questions of the integration policies in Finland is how to guide migrant women towards integration services and the labour market more effectively. EMN Finland’s national conference aims to tackle abovementioned issues of employment of migrant women and gain new insights from national and international experts.

To join the event online, register here.

 

 

On the Agenda 14 – 20 November

See our collection of relevant events, conferences and meetings taking place next week.
Tune into them to stay updated on EU developments.

Transition pathway of the Proximity and Social Economy ecosystem

14 November 2022 

17:00 – 19:30 CET, Brussels, Belgium

Launching the transition pathway for the proximity and social economy ecosystem is a crucial deliverable of the renewed European industrial policy (2021) and the social economy action plan (2021). The transition pathway aims to enable actors in the ecosystem to deliver on the twin transition while fostering a more sustainable and resilient economy in the EU. The launch event will also be an opportunity for stakeholders to present their commitments to co-implement the transition pathway. To register click here.

G20 Summit 

15 – 16 November 2022

The European Union and several European countries are part of the G20, a strategic multilateral platform connecting the world’s major developed and emerging countries. This year the summit will take place in Bali, Indonesia.
Understanding the challenges and the need for collective action, Indonesia will focus on three main pillars for its G20 2022 Presidency namely: Global Health Architecture, Sustainable Energy Transition, and Digital Transformation.

Agenda available here.

Virtual Citizens Dialogue “The making of Europe”

16 November 

12:00 – 13:30 CET/ Online

Universität Innsbruck, in cooperation with the European Committee of the Regions, is pleased to host a Virtual Citizen Dialogue on the topic of “The Making of Europe”. With contributions from different European regions, the Citizen Dialogue will offer a unique opportunity to better understand how Europe functions and engage with European stakeholders from various backgrounds.

10th Integrating Cities Conference

16-17 November 2022

Utrecht (Netherlands)

The 10th edition of the Integrating Cities Conference “Inclusion for all. Empowering vulnerable migrants in cities” will take place on 16-17 November 2022 in Utrecht.

This year’s Conference takes place at a time when European cities welcome a large number of Ukrainian refugees, highlighting once again the essential role that cities play in receiving vulnerable people in need of protection. This high-level event is hosted by the City of Utrecht, within the framework of Eurocities project CONNECTION. UNITEE will be present at the conference as a partner of the project UNITES (UrbaN InTEgration Strategies through co-design). 

European Business Summit 

16 – 17 November 

Brussels

This year, the European Business Summit will highlight the ways to accelerate the European response to geopolitical challenges as well as improve Europe’s efficiency in the fields of energy, transport, digitalisation, and performances of supply chains. Strengthening Europe’s geopolitical role in a complex and changing world is key to understand the implications it is likely to have on security and trade globally. The main topics on the agenda are: Fostering resilient growth, building a sustainable society, safe and innovative digital ecosystem, trade and security.

Register here.

European Employment and social rights forum 

16 – 17 November 

Brussels 

On 16 and 17 November 2022, the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission is organising its inaugural annual flagship event in Brussels, the European Employment & Social Rights Forum.

The Forum will be a unique meeting point for opinion and decision makers to discuss current issues around European employment and social affairs.

Register here.

Conference: The Unitary patents system, a game changer for innovation in Europe 

17 November 2022

09:00 – 17:00 CET/Brussels 

This conference will welcome a host of high-level speakers, including the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economy, the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market and the President of the European Patent Office. They will discuss the various avenues the unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court will open up for IP protection, as well as their potential to boost innovation across Europe. 

15th CIVEX commission meeting

17 November 

11:00 to 13:00 -14:30 to 17:00/ Brussels 

The 15th CIVEX commission meeting will take place on Thursday 17 November from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 14:30 to 17:00 at the European Committee of the Regions. This meeting will be fully on-site. The public can follow the meeting at the listening room JDE53 or through the following webstreaming link

Agenda and other documents related to this CIVEX meeting can be found in the Members’ Portal.

General Affairs Council (Council of the European Union)

18 November,  Brussels

On the agenda: December European Council, EU-UK relations, respect for EU values in Hungary, legislative programming.

 

European Parliament Committees Meetings (LIBE, ECON, ITRE)

The RIDE Project’s Final Event is coming up on 20 January 2023 – Save the Date!

The RIDE project partners are delighted to invite you to Save The Date for the upcoming Final Event.

Time: 20 January 2023
Location: BeCentral, Cantersteen 10, 1000 Brussels

The event will be an occasion to bring together a wider community committed to supporting migrants in the area of digital skills and labour market integration and experiences of women, migrant and refugee, on their access to the digital labour market and possibilities for training and mentorship.

Register here

More details will follow soon – keep following RIDE project’s website and our social media channels for the latest information.

We look forward to welcoming you!

The RIDE team

CREME annual conference: Towards a New Agenda for Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship

The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) is holding the 26th Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference on Thursday 10th November 2022 from 10:00 – 16:45 GMT/UK time. Supported by Lloyds Banking Group the theme this year is: ‘Towards a New Agenda for Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship’. This year’s Annual Ethnic Minority Business conference brings together leading researchers and examples from the world of business support to highlight how we can work together to promote our dynamic and vibrant entrepreneurial community that is genuinely open to all. The conference is hybrid, with capacity for delegates to attend in person at the University and online via Zoom.

For more information and to book your free spot online, please visit the event page.

As part of this year’s edition, UNITEE through its project MILE (Migrant Integration through Locally designed Experiences), is holding a session on “European perspectives on Migrant Entrepreneurship” with local insights from Madrid, Athens, Amsterdam and Utrecht on how entrepreneurship can become a tool to promote the inclusion and participation of migrants and refugees in Europe.

The speakers of this session are:

  • Dr JuanFra Alvarado Valenzuela, Senior Researcher & Educator in Entrepreneurship, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences; specialised in entrepreneurship, social projects, migration trends, personal connections and cross-cultural bridging.
  • Antonina Melody Casino, member of DIWATA (Determined Independent Women in Action for Total Advancement) in Athens, Greece; teacher at Munting Nayon Cultural School, a school initially set up to support Filipino mothers, and now also other migrant communities, in accessing the labor market or running a business.

  • Dr Leendert de Bell, professor for sustainable labour participation of refugees at the Research Centre for Social Innovation (University of Applied Sciences Utrecht), academic staff member at the Centre for Entrepreneurship (Utrecht University) and involved the entrepreneurship program at ‘Plan Einstein’

  • Jennifer Riveiro Ilende, Spanish and Equatorial Guinean lawyer specialised in Immigration and Commercial Law; co-founder and managing partner at the law firm Ilende and Partners in Madrid, Spain

The full agenda of the conference:

Session 1: Grasping the Size of The Prize: The Value of Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship and An Agenda for Change
Session 2: International Trailblazers – Recognising the Potential of Diaspora Entrepreneurs
Session 3: European Perspectives on Migrant Entrepreneurship
Session 4: Crisis and Renewal in Key Sectors
Session 5: Looking to the Future and Closing Reflections

Reforming the Common European Asylum System
State of play of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum was proposed by the Commission in September 2020. Two years from that date, where do we stand with European migration policy? This article takes stock of the advancements made by the European Institutions in negotiating a reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) through the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Read the full article on our online magazine, the New European.