WHY NATIONAL COALITIONS IN GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY AND SPAIN?
The national coalitions connect the wide range of initiatives already in place in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Their objective is to promote exchange of experience, knowledge and practice. These platforms also provide opportunities to network, join forces and initiate advocacy actions towards national and sub-national institutions and stakeholders. Through stock-taking at key events and an assessment of policy needs, the coalitions identify opportunities and obstacles at national and sub-national level and address them in terms of policies, specific measures and funding programmes.
WHO SHOULD JOIN THE NATIONAL COALITIONS?
The coalitions include municipalities leading in the field such as Munich, Milan, Tolosa, Bilbao, Getxo and are open to all relevant local, regional and national stakeholders, including migrant entrepreneurs and their platforms themselves, interested in joining the initiative. Public administrations, chambers of commerce and business support organisations, migrant-support NGOs, migrant-run NGOs, training institutions, research centres, universities and all other stakeholders committed to improve policies for migrant entrepreneurs in their country are invited to join the coalitions.
HOW ARE THE NATIONAL COALITIONS BUILT?
NATIONAL COALITION FAIRS
The National Coalition Fairs represent the first step of the overall national coalition building process. In each participating country, MEGA’s partners convene interested cities as well as local, regional and national stakeholders to the event.
They present experiences, inform about partners’ strategies in building the national coalition and, more generally, encourage migrant entrepreneurship support. The Fairs provide participants with an opportunity to discuss about the state of play in their country and take stock of existing practices and plans.
Key challenges and needs for the development of targeted and/or mainstream support for migrant entrepreneurship are to be identified. The events are organised in each of the participating countries by their corresponding partners in the first half of 2018.
NATIONAL COALITION MEETINGS
The National Coalition Meetings are a key step for developing the policy dialogue with national institutions and stakeholders.
The events are planned in the first half of 2020 in each of the participating countries. They will provide an opportunity to present and discuss improvements in partner cities and regions resulting from MEGA, as well as desired change based on the outcomes of the national needs assessment.
Areas such as support for migrant entrepreneurs in developing their entrepreneurial skills, inclusion in mainstream networks, equal access to finance, use of procurement to achieve social and integration goals, and policies to link migrant entrepreneurship with social integration will be at the centre of the debate. The meetings will pave the way for a sustainable policy community in the field of migrant entrepreneurship and conclude about the way forward and the cornerstones of a national political agenda.