SENDER:
Mag. Doris Kaiserreiner, jump-start e.U., EU Funding Expert No: EX2018D338356
Vladimir Milev, Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants
RECIPIENT/Position paper to: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12381-EU-Strategy-on-Adaptation-to-Climate-Change/public-consultation
Vienna, 19. August 2020
Engagement of migrant entrepreneurs to reach European Green Deal Goals
Dear Commissioner Frans Timmerman, dear Director General for Climate Action Mauro Petriccione,
We are a group of experts, from all over Europe who participate in the university course „Migrant Entrepreneurship Support CP“ at Danube University Krems, Austria.[1] This university course provides us with sound academic as well as applied knowledge and competencies in the design and implementation of support measures for migrants to start and further develop their businesses. This includes, in particular, knowledge of special requirements in advising and supporting migrants in setting up and further developing their businesses, knowledge of the business and legal framework, as well as the provision of mentoring and networking activities.
We, the signees, dedicate our professional knowledge and inspiration to the integration of migrants in European societies. Although we are all concerned about the current Covid-19 situation, we believe that we need to continue our efforts to make the Green deal implemented, now more than ever. The Commission’s Communication on the European Green Deal emphasises that “the transition to climate neutrality requires a collective effort of all sectors of the economy and society“. We address to you for your consideration a proposal how we could strengthen the potential for the implementation of the Green Road Map.
According to Eurostat the migrant population in Europe is about 22.4 million and represents 4.4% of the total population. This group has a huge potential to contribute to society and also to the ambitious goals of the Green Deal. Migrants should be made aware and part of the movement towards the achievements of those goals. Migrants and migrant communities have a powerful role to play in driving the transformation towards climate neutrality forward. A strong engagement of migrants on climate action should be facilitated and we call for specific actions as per the mandate of your esteemed institution. We welcome the draft Climate Law and responsibility of the European Commission to engage with all parts of society to enable and empower them to take action towards a climate-neutral society. We call for special measures to be envisaged in order to activate migrants in the process. To guarantee that the process of transformation will be inclusive, the migrant community needs special attention.
We strongly believe that migrant entrepreneurs could be encouraged and involved in the green process by playing the role as a bridge between the home country businesses and the host country immigrant communities.
The EU ambition is to be a global leader in the transition towards climate neutrality, and is determined to help raise global ambition and to strengthen the global response to climate change, using all tools at its disposal. We propose a prospective tool for doing this. One possible way is to engage migrant entrepreneurs. Most of them have intensive business relations with their home country and therefore in doing this cross border business they could encourage the foreign businesses to engage in the green standards of production. They could implement climate actions in order to protect people and the planet against the threat of harmful practices. Migrant entrepreneurs could be CLIMATE DIPLOMATS in third countries business communities, which is of key importance for national policies in those countries, as well as to facilitate a transfer of expertise, best practices and innovations.
It is emphasised in the proposed Regulation that “in taking the relevant measures at Union and national level to achieve the climate neutrality objective, Member States and the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission should take into account the contribution of the transition to climate neutrality to the well-being of citizens”. We suppose that migrants’ businesses would be strongly impacted by the measures to reduce the use of climate damaging resources but this needs further research and analysis. The European Commission should dedicate resources for that purpose. Furthermore, there is a need to encourage migrants to use only green resources and communicate with climate neutral businesses in their home countries without damaging their competitiveness and market positions in the EU.
Migrant entrepreneurs are a specific leading group that could comprehend and transfer to the community of migrants the green deal aims and mission. They are the first to do climate neutral business and show to the migrant community the benefits and how to mitigate the risks involved. Assuming the high impact of such behaviour on the large migrant community the Commission should open and facilitate the access to programmes and funds to be used by migrants for both purposes: doing environmentally clean business and helping migrant communities build a positive attitude towards the upcoming reforms.
According to the draft Climate Law “each Member State shall establish a multilevel climate and energy dialogue pursuant to national rules, in which local authorities, civil society organisations, business communities, investors and other relevant stakeholders and the general public are able actively to engage and discuss the achievement of the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2 of Regulation”. Integrated national energy and climate plans may be discussed within the framework of such a dialogue. We need to involve migrants in the dialogue about the upcoming challenges related with the implementation of the green road map. Migrant entrepreneurs could lead the involvement of migrants in the constant dialog in regard to the green targets and implementation. The Commission could encourage them to play such a role. A special tool may be designed to prepare migrant entrepreneurs to involve them in the dialogue and to transfer their knowledge to the entire migrant community in the EU.
We hope that our ideas could contribute to the development of an efficient implementation plan to meet the objectives of the Green Deal. Our experience suggests that awareness and training programmes specified to migrants’ specific characteristics should be the starting point and for sure we can win migrant multipliers as advocates of Green deal values.
We stand ready to contribute and expect your feedback on the idea to involve migrant entrepreneurs in the success of the Green road map.
For communication with the group please contact:
Mag. Doris Kaiserreiner, Vladimir Milev.,
Yours Sincerely,
Doris Kaiserreiner Vladiamir Milev
The signees of this letter:
Amer Alqadi, Community Builder, Berlin, Germany
Prof. Dr. Daniela Bobeva, VUZF Lab, Sofia, Bulgary
Mehmet Ercan, Filmmaker / Anthropologist, Free University Berlin, Germany
Michael Göcken, Founder and Trainer for Refugees, Project Phoenix, Greece/Cyprus
Mag. Doris Kaiserreiner, Self-employed Business Consultant, jump-start e.U., Austria
Vladimir Milev, Business Consultant, Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, Bulgaria
Olga Muhwati, Freelance NGO fundraising manager, Netherlands
Amr Mzher, Migrant entrepreneur, founder @www.diwany.org, freelancer startups consultant @GLG, mentor @SBL. linkedin profile, Germany
Peter Praschinger, Trainer and Mentor of Refugees, Blickpunkt Identity, Austria
Dr. Gabriele Sauberer, MBA, Director of the Vienna International Positive Psychology School www.viepps.org, Austria
[1] The university course Migrant Entrepreneurship Support (www.donau-uni.ac.at/migent) has been developed and implemented in the framework of the MAGNET project (migrantacceleration.eu/academy), which has received funding of the European Union’s COSME Programme (2014-2020).
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