“High levels of migrant mobility make it more difficult for local authorities to support effective integration”

Since the EU’s eastern enlargement in 2004 and the introduction of freedom of movement for workers in 2014, the Ruhr region of Germany has become a key destination for Eastern European migrants. The city of Hagen has adopted an integrative approach that has enabled many migrants to settle successfully. Indeed, targeted support measures for migrants as well as the close cooperation between the municipal administration, social services and migrants themselves serve as a role model for other cities.

In 2019, 500 people from the Romanian village of Toflea moved to Hagen. Six years later, can you give an overview of how they have settled in?

Migration from Southeast Europe to Hagen began no later than 2014, when freedom of movement for workers came into effect – especially for those from Romania and Bulgaria. Since then, the migrants’ regions of origin have changed. Currently, many Romanians come from areas such as Ialomița and Galați, while a large number of Bulgarians hail from Plovdiv and Sofia. Many migrants, including numerous Roma families, have settled primarily in deprived districts such as Altenhagen, Wehringhausen and Eilpe – in what is known as Hagen’s “poverty belt”, where housing remains relatively affordable.

Why did people come to Hagen?

Migration from Romania and Bulgaria is driven by the lack of economic prospects in the countries of origin – especially in rural areas with high unemployment and insufficient access to public services and social support.  For many Roma communities, experiences of everyday discrimination also play a key role in the decision to migrate. In Hagen, the large number of vacant properties has resulted in relatively low housing costs, although many of these buildings are in poor condition and require extensive renovation. The affordable cost of living combined with existence of established social networks make it easier for newcomers to settle in, which in turn encourages further migration. This is not necessarily beneficial for integration into society.

What were the main challenges at the time – and what are they today?

The issues we’re dealing with today have changed very little since 2014. One of the biggest challenges in the beginning was organised benefit fraud, in which the applicants themselves were often exploited by those running the schemes. We don't see that quite as much today.

The most pressing issues to this day, however, remain housing shortages, substandard rental properties, and educational challenges for children. Even with various legal measures in place and tighter monitoring, many people remain underemployed and face exploitative working conditions. Tensions in disadvantaged neighbourhoods – particularly due to overcrowded housing and differences in socialisation – lead to frustration on all sides. The number of new people arriving from Romania and Bulgaria remains high, and the continued high levels of migrant mobility make it more difficult for local authorities to support effective integration.

In recent years, cities like Duisburg and Dortmund have taken steps to address issues such as substandard rental housing. Living conditions are frequently a major cause of social tension.

The city of Hagen is implementing a range of measures to combat the rental of substandard housing to migrants from Southeast Europe. Authorities are conducting joint inspections to check for structural defects and verify residents’ registration status. Hagen’s municipal development corporation is purchasing problematic housing stock and either renovating it or having it demolished when renovation is not feasible. Changes to the Building Code now empower the city to require property owners to carry out essential renovations and to have the properties demolished if these obligations are not met. Together, these measures aim to improve housing conditions and make the affected neighbourhoods more attractive over the long term.

What local structures have you established to support integration, and how have these been received?

In addition to programmes specifically targeting housing, employment, health, and education – with a particular focus on mediation in the mother tongue in educational settings – a programme launched in 2017 to strengthen social participation and the integration of people from Southeast Europe has also played a key role, resulting in the creation of a neighbourhood management scheme and the recruitment of  two educational professionals, along with eight mother-tongue language and cultural mediators, most of whom have a Roma background. These new positions support a wide range of areas of life, including conflict mediation within neighbourhoods. Cooperation agreements were also concluded with various partner organisations. Unfortunately, however, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia discontinued this crucial funding at the end of 2024.

Associations such as Romano Drom Hagen e.V. have also been launched, and a task force established to combat benefit fraud. The city is also involved in research projects that seek to step up integration efforts, and it has created a new dedicated department for integration and housing services. Hagen is also collaborating with other cities in the Ruhr region on targeted strategies for specific neighbourhoods. The most important thing is combining restrictive policy measures with improved integration services.

Where does the new federal government or the current state government need to take action?

The city of Hagen is voicing its concerns about migration from Southeast Europe at national level through the German Association of Cities’ Migration from Southeast Europe working group. The main focus here is the city’s call for improved reception and support structures for EU citizens, as well as faster integration into vocational training and the labour market, as set out in the German Ordinance on the Freedom of Movement for Workers. Employment agencies and job centres – as part of existing public services – should actively support all EU citizens by providing comprehensive guidance, support and outreach services. The German government is expected to establish and fund a legal entitlement for EU citizens to access free integration and work-related language courses, including basic education and literacy, with mandatory attendance and the possibility of repatriation if refused. In addition, municipalities that are particularly affected by increased migration from Southeast Europe require additional financial support.

At the federal state level, in North Rhine-Westphalia, targeted support is needed in particular to help integrate this target group into the childcare and school systems. For instance, the city of Hagen is currently running a special programme in cooperation with the state for Year 9 pupils who are not attending school. Initiatives like this, however, require systematic support from the state in order to be rolled out more broadly and give as many children and adolescents as possible real opportunities and future prospects.