The last decade has been characterised by the upheavals in the integration and multiculturalism policies in Europe. European countries have been searching for new solutions to the problem of lack of social cohesion in their ever more multicultural societies. Multiculturalist policies, that were the norm in 1990ies, have been discarded by many political leaders, while at the same time no alternatives have been promoted.

In the Baltic Sea region, countries have varied experiences with multiculturalist and integration policies. Sweden has stayed in the course of multiculturalism despite of the widespread pessimism in the other European countries. Estonia and Latvia have proclaimed their aim to integrate their large Russian-speaking communities while some observers have pointed out to strong assimilationist tendencies in these policies. Lithuania and Poland are at the beginning of the policy development process for developing more socially cohesive societies.

The expert seminar ‘New era in integration policies in the Baltic Sea countries?’ will look at the new challenges in integration policies for countries in the Baltic Sea region. Government officials, experts and NGO community representatives from six countries will come together to discuss the concepts of integration that are applied in different countries, the challenges all countries face and the expected outcomes. The seminar is free of charge but pre-registration is strongly recommended.

More information: kristina@ibs.ee Kristina Kallas or by phone +372 511 8311