The Committee of the Regions adopted an opinion in which highlight the key contribution of local authorities to the framing and implementation of integration policies. It also calls for a strategic partnership between the European Commission and European networks of cities and regions.

Local and regional authorities are on the front line when it comes to policies for integrating immigrants from outside the EU because of their proximity to host communities. They are therefore, key to help on the policies development for integrating immigrants, says the text of an opinion adopted by the Committee of the Regions on the European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals that it was adopted by the Commission in July 2011.

The opinion adopted underlines that local and regional authorities implement integration policies although responsibility for it lies mainly with the Member States. The opinion commends the position of the Commission, which emphasises the key role of local and regional players in ensuring full involvement of immigrants in all aspects of local civic life, and therefore proposes channelling more Union funding in future towards promoting integration at local level. The mayors and presidents of EU regions therefore call for a strategic partnership to be set up between the CoR and the European Commission and European networks of cities and regions, in order to draw more on the experience of local authorities, to exchange best practice and to coordinate initiatives more effectively.

On the other hand, Committee of the Regions also calls on the Member States and local authorities to facilitate recognition of migrants' professional skills, draw up language programmes suited to the needs of specific groups of immigrants and encourage local businesses to improve their corporate social responsibility. According to the local and regional authorities, the CoR must be fully involved in fixing the Union's priorities in relation to financial instruments to support integration, and in evaluating the results of integration programmes, so as to help develop more targeted approaches and support more coherent integration strategies.