Sweden

Membership currently includes around 30 regions and local authorities from 8 EU member states with an interest in immigration and asylum.

Östergötland (East Sweden)

East Sweden has 415,000 inhabitants and is the fourth largest urban area in Sweden. 12.1% of the population has a foreign background. Immigrants mainly come from Iraq, Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the rest of former Yugoslavia. Another group are people from Scandinavia, mostly Finland.
A Regional Agreement for a More Effective Refugee Introduction was signed in October 2004. With financing from the ERF, the Östsam Regional Development Council is coordinating a project concerning Regional Cooperation for Refugees and their introduction. This aims to extend cooperation between the municipalities in Östergötland, authorities, organisations and other actors, to achieve a more effective introduction for refugees, and to minimize the delay in their introduction to the Swedish labour market. The purpose is to develop the Swedish language training for immigrants, including vocational language.

Contact person: Maria Pettersson
East Sweden EU office
Tel: +32 (0)2 235 00 11
Email: maria.pettersson@eastsweden.be