The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) is a unique tool which measures policies to integrate migrants in all EU Member States, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA. 167 policy indicators have been developed to create a rich, multi-dimensional picture of migrants’ opportunities to participate in society. MIPEX results help to evaluate and compare what governments are doing to promote the integration of migrants in all the countries analysed.
MIPEX 2015 results indicate that Estonia’s integration policies lead the Baltic states and Central Europe, ranking 22nd out of 38 countries, just above Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and several points ahead of Latvia and Lithuania. Estonia’s policies can be seen as halfway favourable, with clear strengths and weaknesses for immigrants to fully participate in different areas of public life. Estonia’s ambitious employment and education policies are trying to respond to the specific needs of both newcomers and the long-settled non-EU-born. More could be done to respond to the specific problems of victims of discrimination to take even the 1st step to access justice. The major challenge is to create the inclusive conditions for all residents to participate, trust and interact with each other in democratic life. While long-term residents are secure in their status and enfranchised in local elections, they face more restrictive opportunities to participate in national public life or to become citizens in EE than in nearly all developed democracies.