OPPORTUNITIES: Crises as opportunities: towards a level telling field on migration and a new narrative of successful integration

Horizon Europe

Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Hungary, Ghana, Mauritania, Senegal

1 March 2021 –

28 February 2025

About

“Cross-talk” experiments to create new narratives of migration and integration in local communities.

There is no evidence of a long-term decline in positive attitudes toward migration following the 2015-16 ‘refugee crisis’.
Statistical analyses also found no clear correlation between the number of immigrants received by a country or its economic difficulties and anti-migrant sentiment.
However, survey analyses highlighted clear differences between member states when it comes to views on migration.
A comparative analysis of Twitter accounts by political parties in four European member states (Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Italy) confirms that the debate between the political left and the political right increasingly centers on the pros and cons of immigration.
Media narratives privilege the scale of regional or national debates at the expense of migrants’ experiences or global phenomena. In particular, journalists or NGOs working with refugees and migrants across Europe tend to resort to “vicarious storytelling”, i.e. the practice of speaking on behalf of others.
A new narrative on migration requires a fair dialogue which involves migrants, citizens, and stakeholders on an equal footing.

Policy Brief – cross-country comparison of media consumption and attitudes towards migration
Policy Brief – perceptions and communication patterns on migration
Policy Statement – recommendations for journalists
“Cross-talk” methodology – how to re-enact migration experiences during public events

 Michel Debruyne, Senior Adviseer, Beweging.net

Beweging.net, Belgium
Bergische Universitaet Wuppertal, Germany
Coordinamento Nazionale Comunità Di Accoglienza Associazione, Italy
Cooperativa Lotta Contro L'emarginazione Cooperativa Sociale Onlus Societa Cooperativa Sociale, Italy
Polo9 Società Cooperativa Sociale -Impresa Sociale, Italy
Groupe De Recherche Et De Realisations Pour Le Developpement Rural, France
Internationales Forschungszentrum Fuer Soziale Und Ethische Fragen, Austria
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Fundatia The Open Network For Community Development, Romania
Rede Europeia Anti Pobreza Portugal Associacao, Portugal
University Of Ghana, Ghana
Universite Gaston Berger De Saint Louis, Senegal
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Netherlands
Universiteit Gent, Belgium
Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, Belgium