Lunchtime policy webinar: No voice without civic space
About the webinar
Migrant communities want and should have meaningful influence over Europe’s future. Funding pressures, discrimination and challenges to civic space, however, increasingly threaten the conditions that make participation – and therefore influence – possible.
What do migrant activists and migrant-led organisations identify as Europe’s most urgent priorities? What barriers do they face, and what would enable them to contribute more meaningfully to policymaking? Drawing on the results of the 2026 Migrant Voices Observatory survey, the webinar will explore these questions.
With the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum now in force, it is essential to consider whether migrants’ rights, needs and perspectives are sufficiently reflected in its implementation and monitoring. With this in mind, responses to the survey highlight the importance of accessible and sustainable funding, stronger involvement in policymaking and recognition of migrant-led organisations as sources of expertise. Respondents’ priorities also extend beyond migration policy to everyday concerns such as employment, housing, health and equality. The webinar will further consider the implications of increasingly restrictive access to citizenship across the EU for migrants’ inclusion, participation and ability to shape the societies in which they live.
Through our New Europeans Initiative, we will present the findings and discuss their implications for EU policy and practice. Participants and invited speakers will reflect on how institutions and other stakeholders can move beyond consultation towards meaningful influence. Policymakers, civil society organisations, migrant- and refugee-led initiatives, researchers and other stakeholders are invited to join the discussion.
Agenda
12.30pm – Welcome and introduction
- Alexander Wolffhardt, Deputy Director, Migration Policy Group
12.35pm – No voice without civic space: results of the Migrant Voices Observatory survey
- Olivia Long, Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Group
12.50pm – Tightening access to citizenship across the EU: current results from MIPEX
- Dr Başak Yavçan, Head of Research, Migration Policy Group
1.10pm – Reflections and discussion
Moderated by Alexander Wolffhardt, with invited expert speakers (tbc):
- Tineke Strik, MEP, the Greens / EFA group
- Yonous Muhammadi, President, Greek Forum of Refugees
- Anila Noor, Managing Director, New Women Connectors
- Ismail Alkhateeb, Head of Partnerships & Ecosystem Development, PLACE Network
- Damiano Del Balso, Policy Officer, European Commission
1.40pm Closing remarks
Registration
Please confirm your spot in the webinar by completing the registration form.
For any questions, please contact Olivia Long, MPG policy analyst, at olong@migpolgroup.com.
About the Migration Policy Group (MPG)
MPG is an independent think-and-do-tank based in Brussels. MPG’s purpose is rooted in its ability to inspire networks to provide evidence-based projects, research and campaigns in the areas of integration, migration and anti-discrimination.