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.