Slovenia
The basic framework for migration and integration policies in Slovenia is provided in the Foreigners Act, which regulates permission to stay by distinguishing between temporary and permanent residence status. The Constitution also defines the right to asylum, which is further defined with the International Protection Act. In Slovenia, migration policy falls within the domain of the Ministry of the Interior that is responsible for asylum and migration. Its Migration and Integration Directorate primarily operates within the discursive context of state security, control and management of migration (Bajt and Frelih 2019). In 2017, a special Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants (Sl. OUIM) was established, taking over part of responsibilities that were previously under the authority of the ministry. Devising policies and administrative procedures for obtaining the status of international protection remain under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. Despite its broad name, the UOIM is only responsible for asylum seekers and people with recognised status of international (refugee or subsidiary) protection. In 2021 this number was around 600 persons in total. The vast majority of foreigners in Slovenia, namely, are not asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, hence integration measures in this regard remain without a public body that would be responsible for their implementation. Also, local communities do not have formal power to implement integration policy, though it is in actuality conducted at the local community level and sustained by various non-governmental sector programmes and short-term projects (Ladi? et al. 2020).
In 2019, Slovenia adopted a new strategy in the field of migration, which also addresses integration. It underlines the importance of a holistic approach: cooperation and complementarity of all actors in the formulation and implementation of policies and practices. Integration is therefore formally recognised as a complex process involving various fields, including protection against all forms of discrimination. Slovenia emphasizes gender equality as an integral part of all the goals of the Agenda 2030. Women from ethnic minorities and immigrants are included in the Slovenian resolution on gender mainstreaming.
Social inclusion remains heavily skewed towards the official understanding of integration through the labour market and linguistic proficiency. This means most integration policies are geared towards economic integration (i.e. employment) and cultural “acceptance” through Slovenian language learning. Both primarily cater to the paradigmatic male immigrant and were not designed for female migrants whose life situations still frequently preclude their labour market integration due to insufficient public childcare or, at the same time, preclude them from attending language classes due to care work.
To end this chapter, we make available to students the following success story starring a migrant woman in Slovenia and entitled “Integration as a project” accessible at: https://viw.pixel-online.org/case_view.php?id=OA==. This success story illustrates the actual bureaucratic obstacles that migrant women face upon migrating to Slovenia, as well as active strategies to overcome the hurdles.
References
Bajt, V. and Frelih, M. (2019). Crimmigration in Slovenia. Two Homelands 49 (7-25). Doi: 10.3986/dd.v0i49.7251.
Ladi?, M., Bajt, V. and Jaluši?, V. (2020). National Integration Evaluation Mechanism: Slovenia. Report for 2018. Ljubljana: Peace Institute.
EWSI – European Website on Integration: Slovenia. Brussels: Migration Policy Group. Available at: Governance of migrant integration in Slovenia | European Website on Integration (europa.eu)
The European Website on Integration (EWSI) is an initiative of the European Commission and falls under the responsibility of the Directorate-General Home Affairs and Migration. The website is the only EU-wide source bringing up-to-date information and good practices on migrant integration for policy makers and practitioners.
MIPEX – Migrant Integration Policy Index: Slovenia. 2020. Brussels: Migration Policy Group. Available at: Slovenia | MIPEX 2020
The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) interactive website is a unique tool which measures policies to integrate migrants in countries across six continents, including all EU Member States (including the UK), other European countries (Albania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine), Asian countries (China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates), North American countries (Canada, Mexico and US), South American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile), South Africa, and Australia and New Zealand in Oceania. Policy indicators have been developed to create a rich, multi-dimensional picture of migrants’ opportunities to participate in society. Specific indicators are available for Slovenia.