29 January 2015
On the occasion of the first meeting of the European Migration Forum, held on 26-27 January in Brussels on the initiative of the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee, the President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Michel Lebrun, stressed the need for a genuine Euro-Mediterranean policy for migration.
As a platform for dialogue with civil society on migration, asylum and integration, the Forum brought together representatives of EU institutions, civil society and cities, and European and Mediterranean regions.
He also called for the creation of "Partnerships for migration and integration" between the cities and regions of countries of origin and destination in order to ensure a more decentralized management of migration.
The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) adopted last December a report on migration management at local and regional level, recommending ways to strengthen the role of local and regional authorities in the establishment of a circular migration policy in the Mediterranean.
