The second annual Vision Europe Summit takes place on 21 and 22 November 2016 in Lisbonne; it will be an occasion for the one hundred invited experts and politicians to discuss the response to the migration and refugee crisis in Europe.

The refugee crisis poses a serious challenge, both to the welfare of refugees and to European societies. In 2015, more than 1.5 million migrants crossed into the European Union. From Italy to Poland, and from Greece to Germany, countries face immense challenges in responding to requests for humanitarian aid, asylum, and integration. The associated integration challenges in housing, language, work and welfare are already formidable. Failing to manage them properly poses serious threats to social cohesion and political stability.

European countries have had sufficient time to analyse and assess the long-standing challenges which created the current crisis. Now it is time to act – not individually and at the expense of others, but jointly and in a spirit of European solidarity. This is why Vision Europe – a partnership between eight leading foundations and think tanks in Europe – focused its efforts in 2016 on providing practical solutions to the current refugee crisis, and its root causes.

At the Vision Europe Summit 2016 we will discuss the results of a survey on the obstacles facing migrants entering the European Union and present policy briefs regarding: i. the construction of a common ground for a social and political consensus on the reception, hosting and integration of migrants and refugees in EU member states; ii. the development of mechanisms for rapid and efficient action for an effective response to large and unforeseen migration and refugee flows; and iii. the reception of migrants and refugees with the final objective of achieving the complete integration of those who seek it.

«Improving the responses to the migration and refugee crisis in Europe»: this urgent matter will take centre stage at the summit. The innovative suggestions for reforms made in the policy briefs will be discussed with stakeholders from politics, business, civil society and academia in view of their possible implementation. A conference declaration expressing a vision of an open and welcoming Europe on national and European levels will be finalized at the summit.

Vision Europe is a consortium of think tanks and foundations, launched in 2015, collaborating to address some of the most pressing public policy challenges facing Europe and its member states. Through research, publications and an annual summit, we aim to be a forum for debate and a source of recommendations to improve evidence-based policy-making at both national and EU level and to foster an appropriate European integration.

More information can be found on our website: www.vision-europe-summit.eu