European Meeting Centre – Nowy Staw Foundation had a pleasant opportunity to organize a seminar ’Integrating of migrants and refugees in the labour market - the role of workers' organisations’ which took place in Warsaw between 18th and 19th October within the activities of The European Centre for Workers’ Questions (EZA). The participants of the seminar, including representatives of the Presidium and the Council of EZA who honoured us with their presence, discussed the topic of incorporating migrants and refugees to the European labour reality. Apart from that, we also considered the role of workers’ organisations in facilitating this process for migrants.

Last Friday, 14 th september 2018, the Ordinary General Assembly of the International Platform for Cooperation and Migration - IPCM met in Madrid. During the meeting, the annual financial statements and activities of the 2016 and 2017 exercises were approved, as well as the presentation and approval of the 2018 annual budget.

Later, the Extraordinary General Assembly meeting elected the new Executive Board members.

The new elected members are:

President: Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga - H+D

Vice President: Piergiorgio Sciacqua - EZA - MCL

Vice President: María Reina Martín - FIDESTRA

Vice President: Aneta Szczykutowicz - EDS- FNS

Treasurer: Josep Calvó - FIDESTRA

Secretary: José Ignacio Argote - CEAT

Vice Secretary: Maribel Alañón - H+D 

Ordinary Members: Vittorino Rodaro - UNAIE and Álvaro Domingos - CIFOTIE

At Saturday morning, the first meeting of the new Executive Board members planned the new 2018 activities of the Platform. 

Attention to refugees for their integration into the local environment is a priority at the reception center of the Portuguese Council for Refugees (CPR) in the town of Loures, near Lisbon. Members of IPCM, guided by Vice President Maria Reina Martín, visited the center, where they were received by its director, Tito Matos.

There, they toured the facilities, learned about its operation and were able to converse with people from Somalia, Guinea-Bissau or Guinea-Conakry.

IPCM statement on the situation in Catalonia

The International Platform for Cooperation and Migration (IPCM/PICM), which brings together some 20 social organizations from various European countries, wants to state publicly its position on the serious events taking place in Catalonia, Spain:

1. The IPCM, since its creation and according to its statutes, promotes "the principles of defense of freedom, democracy, Christian humanism, tolerance, human development and social welfare."
   
   
2. For this reason, the IPCM sees with great concern the division that the extremist nationalist ideology has produced within Catalan society, as well as the constant violation of the legal and constitutional framework by the Catalan authorities, whose project involves not only breaking Spain but also leaving the European Union.
   
   
3. The IPCM reiterates its firm commitment to European values based on the rule of law, individual rights, non-discrimination, subsidiarity and solidarity between territories and states.
   
   
4. Precisely because of its continued attention to migrants, the IPCM is especially supportive of those who, because of their origin or language, are being discriminated or threatened.
   
   
5. As an international platform, the IPCM is strictly respectful of international law, the existence of states and their sovereignty, as is undoubtedly the case of the Kingdom of Spain.
   
   
6. The IPCM fully relies on the government of Spain, in dialogue with political parties, to restore constitutional order and to avoid the social confrontation provoked by ideological reasons typical of the 30's of last century.

October 11, 2017