A new toolkit is now available to help European municipalities and communities involve migrants more directly in shaping and implementing local integration policies. Developed under the EU-funded EPIC-UP project, the guide is intended for practical use by local authorities, civil society groups, migrant-led organisations, and researchers.
The toolkit draws on the EPIC-UP project’s work in six EU countries –Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Spain– and compiles tested approaches for engaging migrants in the decision-making process. It offers adaptable methods for different local contexts, from large cities to smaller towns.
A practical guide for inclusive policy-making
Drawing on the experience of the EPIC-UP project, the toolkit equips local authorities, civil society organisations, migrant-led associations, researchers, and other stakeholders with concrete tools and methods to co-create inclusive integration policies. It is designed to be adaptable to diverse local contexts, ensuring that both migrants and host communities benefit from strategies that are relevant, effective, and sustainable.
At its core, the toolkit applies the principle of intersectionality, recognising that migrants’ experiences are shaped by overlapping factors such as gender, age, disability, and socio-economic background. The challenges of a young migrant worker, for example, will differ greatly from those of an elderly asylum seeker or a refugee woman. By acknowledging these differences, the toolkit encourages practitioners to tailor their approaches to the specific realities of each group. The aim is simple but ambitious: no one left behind.
Three main areas
The toolkit is structured around three key pillars:
- Effective communication: This pillar focuses on strategies to communicate clearly with diverse migrant groups, taking into account their varied needs, languages, and experiences.
- Community mobilization techniques: This section offers methods for engaging and empowering hard-to-reach migrant groups, ensuring that all migrants can participate in their community’s integration process.
- Methods for public consultation, participation, and dialogue: This pillar provides tools for ensuring meaningful engagement with migrant communities in policy-making processes, enabling them to influence decisions that affect their lives.
Responding to a changing landscape
Migration in Europe is not a one-off phenomenon but an ongoing process shaped by political, social, and economic shifts. With migrant communities becoming an integral part of local populations, integration strategies must go beyond service provision. True inclusion means creating environments where migrant voices are heard, respected, and acted upon.
Yet significant barriers remain: limited access to services, language hurdles, discrimination, and social exclusion can all restrict participation. Overcoming these challenges requires active involvement, shared decision-making, and communication that is not only clear but culturally and contextually sensitive.
“Effective integration is not just about providing services but about creating spaces where migrant voices are heard and respected”, Mohammed Mustafa, EPIC-UP project coordinator.
Collaboration as a cornerstone
EPIC-UP stresses that successful integration depends on cooperation between multiple stakeholders. Local authorities, NGOs, migrant-led associations, and academic institutions all have a role to play. The project’s experience shows that multi-actor collaboration produces more effective results, combining different resources and perspectives to develop solutions that work in practice.
The EPIC-UP toolkit offers a structured, ready-to-use set of resources that can be applied immediately in local contexts. It is intended for practitioners who want to strengthen migrant participation and ensure that integration policies are informed by the people they affect.
By focusing on practical steps and adaptable tools, the EPIC-UP Toolkit aims to support local actors in building more inclusive and resilient communities.
Download the EPIC-UP Toolkit in English (also available in German, Greek, Italian, Polish, and Spanish)