Comparison of the integration policies of selected European countries concerning holders of international protection

Abstract

The following study aims to compare the policies of European countries related to the treatment of international protection holders, especially in the initial moments of the integration process. The object of the analysis is the policy frameworks for integrating international protection holders and how these frameworks are reflected in the relevant policy documents. We compare 12 policies through the lens of Hartmut Esser’s theoretical model of social integration. In the study, we identify four main findings: (1) the EU definition of international protection holder integration is paradoxically best matched by the public policies of non-EU countries; (2) the labor market is still perceived as a key area in the integration process; (3) despite the declared two-way principle, the topic of removing barriers to integration is neglected; (4) the term community is used exclusively in relation to the local, neighborhood context, not in relation to (ethnic) “origin”.