DRIM - The Dream Came True: DC Launch, Training and Workshop in Hungary

14-01-2019

The Hungarian events highlighted the main characteristics effecting the potential efficiency of Danube Compass.

The number of migrants arrived to Hungary in the past five years has increased significantly. At the same time experts experience that a large proportion of immigrants do not come to Hungary in an individual way, but in an organized form by helpers, recruiters or employers and receive adequate support to be able to succeed locally. A distinction should also be made between a highly-qualified worker who comes to a multinational company with a family and a seasonal worker with low wages, with no family at all. In the former case, the employer typically supports his / her employee in addition to his / her location, both in settling and in everyday affairs, whereas in the latter case this type of support is not provided to the employee.

The information system for the orientation of economic immigrants in Hungary works almost exclusively within the state's framework. From a communication point of view, it is important to distinguish between legally licensed foreign citizens (with employment, residential etc. permits) and those staying illegally in Hungary. For the latter ones, the Immigration and Asylum Office is the first step and the first point of orientation. In terms of Danube Compass (hereinafter referred to as DC) goals, tools and information content this group is less in focus, but DC provides relevant information for them as well.

According to experts, public employment agencies are not directly sought by economic immigrants, only through intermediaries or, in rare cases, by an interpreter. This also reinforces the attitude that a public body, although under a legal obligation, would not be aware of economic migrants. One exception is the services offered by EURES.

In addition to the public information structure, a significant number of NGOs operate, albeit they provide services only marginally serving the primary target group, whose information services partly overlap with the services provided by DC.

As the main message of the events, DC and its services can be an effective tool for migrants’ support, nevertheless the service structure offered by DC needs to be distinguished in the future from similar services that are already being run, both for the target group and the range of services.

Programme co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI)