MIPEX II at an end, MPG and BC agree on MIPEX III

On 18 March 2008, MPG and the British Council convened the final evaluation meeting, bringing to a close an 18-month project that exceeded partners' expectations. MIPEX grew from 6 to 21 partners, 93 to 142 policy indicators, 5 to 9 translations, 10 to 113 signatories, 7 to approximately 400 press articles, and 7 national launch events to 19 (with two more in pipeline).

In the five months following the launch, the MIPEX website received 1.6 million web hits. At the meeting at the Paris Cité Universitaire, the MIPEX network and associate partners and the representatives from the British Council offices went away with a number of lessons learnt on research, partnership, and impact among others.

MPG and the British Council have agreed to assess the feasibility of a third edition of the Migrant Integration Policy Index. MPG has begun preparation of MIPEX III's research scope and infrastructure.

MIPEX aims to act as a regular assessment on a widening range of policy areas, critical to a migrant's opportunities to integrate, where an enlarging Union and selected third countries can benefit from benchmarking policieis to the highest, newest European standards.  The five objectives for MIPEX are:

1) longitudinal assessment carried out on a biannual basis;

2) more strands on integration policy and implementation;

3) benchmarked to the highest European standards;

4) within an enlarging EU and selected countries of immigration;

5) closer collaboration with a network of independent national partners.