The integration of long-term residents in the EU
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has just released the results of a qualitative research carried out in the 25 EU member States which introduced the EU long-term residence permit. The research was based on individual interviews and focus groups.
51 experts and 267 third-country nationals were interviewed in these countries, including Italy, in order to investigate the life and working conditions of long-term residents and, more broadly, their level of social integration in the EU.
The ultimate goal of the research was to comprehend how the legislation governing the permits should be reformed in order to foster integration and mobility across EU countries.
FRA’s recommendations to EU institutions and national governments include the simplification of the requirements for residence and income, as well as of those related to accommodation and language. Procedures for the recognition of qualifications and titles obtained abroad and access to long-term residence status for children should also be facilitated.
As the Italian contractor of the multidisciplinary research network FRANET, whose role is to provide support to FRA’s research activities, Fondazione Brodolini conducted the research and the fieldwork in Italy.
