Paris/Brussels – The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) hosted the final event of the “Partnerships and Financing for Migrant Inclusion” (PAFMI) initiative at the CEB headquarters in Paris yesterday. The event brought together public authorities, financial intermediaries, civil society organisations and EU representatives to reflect on lessons learned and explore opportunities to scale up support for migrant integration across Europe.
Launched in 2022 and implemented by the CEB, PAFMI was financed through a €3.5 million grant from the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The initiative aimed to support the integration of third-country nationals in EU member states by testing new partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms that combine financial and non-financial support.
PAFMI comprised four pilot projects across Europe:
- Belgium: MicroStart led a project in Brussels that empowered migrant entrepreneurs through tailored training, individual coaching, and access to microcredit, fostering self-employment and economic independence.
- Finland: The City of Väntää implemented SMILE, a community-based initiative that promoted migrant family inclusion through multilingual job coaching, school integration activities for children, and strengthened dialogue between families and local services.
- Italy: Microlab and its partners launched EMPOWER!, combining entrepreneurship training, financial education, and mentoring with microloans and personalised support for the recognition of foreign qualifications.
- The Netherlands: Qredits provided tailored entrepreneurship training to migrants, complemented by one-on-one coaching and access to microloans to help launch and grow their businesses.
“We believe that, when designed inclusively, financial instruments can be powerful tools for social impact. PAFMI demonstrated how grants and loans, paired with grassroots partnerships, can address real challenges faced by migrants—from financial inclusion to employment barriers. Supporting migrant integration is at the core of the CEB mandate and we are ready to build on this experience and expand the use of financial instruments for migrant inclusion in Europe,” said Tomáš Boček, Vice-Governor for Target Group Countries at the CEB.
Representing DG HOME, Acting Director-General Beate Gminder added: “Great to see the tangible impact of the PAFMI initiative. By testing new partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms, we have been able to scale up support for migrant integration. We are committed to continue developing and implementing similar initiatives going forward, to ensure that migrants have the necessary tools and resources to better integrate and bring their personal contribution to their host communities”.