Despite the enormous benefits refugees can bring to
European economies and societies, their integration
remains a long and arduous process that requires
improvement. Refugee integration has become even more
challenging with the increased number of arrivals in the
past few years. It has, in certain countries, put national
services dealing with the reception and integration of
refugees under strain and contributed to the rise of anti-migration forces in European societies. While integration
policies do not fall under the core competences of the
European Union (EU), the importance of the issue and
its possible collateral effects on EU migration policies,
the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), and,
in general, the future of Europe, leaves the EU with no
choice but to act
