NIEM
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism. Measuring and improving integration of beneficiaries of international protection in the European Union
The National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM) is a six-years long transnational project which aims to prepare key actors in the integration field in 15 EU Member States to better face the current challenges and improve the integration outcomes of beneficiaries of international protection. Conflict situations tend to last longer and it takes currently on average 17 years, before refugees fleeing civil wars may eventually have a chance to return to their home country. Hence, the long-term integration of newly arrived beneficiaries of international protection is without alternative and presents an immediate challenge for European societies.
NIEM will establish a mechanism for a biennial, comprehensive evaluation of the integration of beneficiaries of international protection to provide evidence on gaps in integration standards, identify promising practices and evaluate the effects of legislative and policy changes.
NIEM is developed against the background of the changing legal environment on international protection both at national and European levels, induced by the high numbers of new arrivals in the recent years. The project endeavours to provide evidence on some of the most burning discussions concerning these changes: Are EU standards on integration of beneficiaries of international protection well implemented? How are they impacting integration policies? Are policies aimed at beneficiaries of international protection having an impact on successful integration? What are the challenges and good practices, and which policy gaps need to be addressed? To answer these questions, NIEM is developing comprehensive, reliable and sustainable data collection methods on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. It will provide evidence that can support the establishment of integration policies maximising the potential of newly arrived beneficiaries of international protection. More than 150 NIEM indicators build and expand on the current EU integration standards and cover different areas and types of expertise, various stakeholders and diverse types of evidence.
An analytical matrix including more than 150 indicators, collected from the 15 EU Member States, concerning general framework and legal, socio-economic and socio-cultural dimensions regarding the condition of the beneficiaries of international protection.
Coordinator Institution: Institute of Public Affairs, Poland
Partner institutions:
Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, Association Multi Kulti Collective (Bulgaria)
People in Need (Czech Republic)
France Terre d'Asile (France)
Berlin Institute for Empirical Research on Integration and Migration, Humboldt University (Germany)
Menedék – Hungarian Association for Migrants (Hungary)
Fondazione ISMU – Initiatives and Studies on Multi-ethnicity (Italy)
Providus (Latvia)
Diversity Development Group (Lithuania)
Maastricht University (Netherlands)
Institute of Public Affairs (Poland)
Centro de Estudos Sociais, University of Coimbra (Portugal)
The Foundation for an Open Society (Romania)
Peace Institute (Slovenia)
CIDOB – Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (Spain)
Malmö University (Sweden)