Migration in the European Union, 28th of November 2008, Paris, 28.11 09:00 - 28.11 18:00

ECAS is delighted to invite you to the conference taking place on 28 November in Paris and contribute to the debate and policy recommendations on the issue of vulnerable migrant workers. ECAS and partners - Department of Social and Sanitary Affairs of the French Ministry of Health and Association Charonne - have mobilised a multidisciplinary group of experts and are inviting any members of interested public to participate.

Although the mobility in Europe is often associated with success, there is also the "unacceptable face of the migration". This reality was discovered by those vulnerable people who having moved to another country, often abused on their way by the bogus job agencies, find themselves in difficult situations, facing complicated administrative procedures, language barriers and the total loss of means and social capital.

Interestingly, the full picture of all the difficulties that vulnerable migrants face is difficult to paint. Very little academic work focuses on the situation of migrants in need although the studies of both migration and poverty are abundant. The same segmentation is visible in the social action that either targets migrants or impoverished people. Very recently and slowly a coordinated approach is emerging that aims at the precise category of vulnerable migrants and the specific needs that they have. This conclusion is the rationale behind the conference that will be held on 28 November with a view to discussing the problems of vulnerable intra-EU migrants and how they can be alleviated by the action of public authorises and the third sector. The conference is well-timed to make the recommendations to both national governments and the EU Institutions with France having the presidency of the EU and the ongoing reality check of the Citizenship Directive.

Please, find here the full programme of the conference. We hope that this project will appeal to you and that you would like to take an active part in our event. Registrations for the conference can be made by sending back a filled-in registration form to joanna.smigiel@ecas.org or by fax to + 32 (0) 2 548 04 99. The conference participation is free of charge but number of places in limited and we advise prompt registrations.