Why integration work needs more than temporary programmes

If you look back at the time since 2015: how has the reception and integration of refugees developed in Osnabruck?

The reception of refugees is well organised by public services. The year 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, entailed a great deal of improvisation; having said that, it was possible to significantly exploit the structures and experience built up since 2015. There is still a strong commitment to voluntary work, especially in extracurricular education, but it has decreased on the whole.

Nowadays, integration work has a broader focus: it encompasses refugees with asylum seeker status, refugees from Ukraine, skilled workers from third countries and measures for catch-up integration. Above all, it is the educational landscape that has had to adapt: many children and young people who fled Ukraine with their mothers need places in day-care centres and schools – which leads to bottlenecks. The local foreigners’ registration office faces major challenges, too: the situation is characterised by high staff turnover, a lack of skilled workers and a paucity of suitable candidates.
 

Which measures, programmes or structures have been established since then that you believe have proven their worth over the long term?

Decentralised accommodation wherever possible and coordinated refugee social work with independent sponsors have been particularly valuable. In the reception of Ukrainian refugees, the adaptation of consultation structures was successful; information was also temporarily provided in several languages. For the more than 2,000 refugees from Ukraine in Osnabruck, target-group specific formats such as labour market events are also being developed. Close contact with communities enables the administration to focus closely on real needs.

Raising awareness about municipal public relations is important, too: transparency about administrative action as well as prevention are a focal point, supported by training from the Diversity Officer and advice from the Anti-Discrimination Office.

Important structural formats have been established since 2015 – such as the “Integration Coordination Round Table”, the “Ukraine Forum” in 2022 and a “Roundtable on Skilled Worker Immigration”. Association structures, including mosque communities, are also actively supported. A project co-financed by the BAMF has sustainably improved communication, digital services and accessibility of the foreigners’ registration office. Complementing this are institutions such as the Municipal Migration Social Counselling Service, the Peace Culture Office with intercultural programmes, the Volunteer Agency with a focus on refugees and the Education Office with extracurricular programmes. Mentoring projects on political participation are initiated by the municipality, the Migrants Advisory Board and city council groups.
 

Are there examples that have since been taken up by other municipalities in Lower Saxony?

Osnabruck has won awards for its conceptual integration management, is renowned throughout Germany and is well connected. However, there is no overview available about which individual measures or pilot projects have been specifically adopted.
 

What do you still consider to be the greatest obstacles to integration work at municipal level?

One of the biggest hurdles continues to be the public services’ lack of focus on diversity. Many institutions find it difficult to adapt to heterogeneous target groups. Personnel selection processes often follow obsolete patterns, communication is insensitive in many cases, and entire population groups are essentially left out in participation processes. There are also bottlenecks in the educational sector – be it due to a lack of places or the inadequate handling of multilingualism as an opportunity.
 

Have the problem areas changed since 2015, and if so, in what way?

Yes, the challenges have changed dramatically. In 2015 and 2016, the situation was mainly characterised by male refugees with asylum seeker status. Since 2022, local immigration and integration work has been shaped by women and children from Ukraine as well as the needs of young skilled workers without children and their employers. At the same time, refugees from third countries continue to arrive. A constant problem remains the ubiquitous racism in everyday life, which is increasingly played out in public.
 

How do you assess the “emergency” debate on the accommodation of refugees – and its political ramifications in Germany’s current asylum policy?

This debate harbours a great risk of discriminating against refugees and making them responsible for social upheaval. Osnabruck, the City of Peace, has experienced current refugee movements as a challenge as opposed to a crisis, and has not characterised them as such.
 

How is Osnabruck currently organised and structured in order to react to refugee and immigration movements in the future?

The city has systematically anchored the experiences of the last ten years: structures for accommodation, care and communication are established, and knowledge management is being actively pursued. Osnabruck can also benefit from its longstanding experience in dealing with labour and forced migration: as early as the 1970s, concepts were developed and implemented for the accommodation and social participation of the then so-called “guest workers”.

Yet, resources are scarce and the housing market in particular is coming under strain in Osnabruck. What is more, scepticism towards migration policy issues is more strongly pronounced today than it was ten years ago – both in politics and society.
 

What support from state or federal policy do you consider necessary for ensuring integration work at local level over the long term?

In many places, integration work is based on project structures and is rarely understood as a cross-cutting issue within the administration. Federal and State Governments should provide the impetus to systematically embed integration work into municipal structures and safeguard it in the long term.
 

What do you look back on with particular pride – and what still drives you, even after ten years, to advocate for successful integration?

Integration requires a municipal moderation process. This has been successful in parts – especially where stakeholders could be identified and recruited who are committed to a learning organisation and an urban society based on diversity. We are proud of the fact that this has been achieved in many parts of Osnabruck.