Social Inclusion and Access to Basic Services of Third-Country Nationals

2026-07-22

During the past years, the social inclusion of third-country nationals (TCNs) has been a key priority for the EU and its Member States. However, persistent gaps in access to basic services demonstrate that additional actions are needed to support integration. This project contributes to these ongoing efforts to tackle TCNs' social vulnerabilities, by focusing on four Member States from different EU regions: Belgium, Germany, Hungary, and Spain. It is designed around a series of activities aiming to identify and reduce existing barriers in access to services via a transversal and multi-sectoral approach covering five core policy areas: healthcare, housing, education, employment, and social assistance. In line with EU's Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027, we consider that ensuring inclusion for all and targeted support requires a whole of society approach. Consequently, our action responds to policymakers' interest in further improving existing regulations on access to basic services, while also directly involving first-line practitioners, civil society organizations, and migrants. Following this multi-stakeholder rationale, we develop activities aiming to: a) raise migrants' knowledge about their social rights and the institutions and organizations that can advise them in the process of accessing a wide array of basic services; b) improve effective access to public service by training service providers and informing about their specific needs; c) collaborate with civil society organizations, to equip them with skills to assist TCNs and foster peer learning and transnational cooperation; d) inform policymakers about best practices and provide them with tailored guidance on how to improve the adequacy of public service provisions to diverse populations.

Belgium

2025-10-01