On Monday, 15 of June 2015, a training seminar took place at the Municipality of Deryneia in the context of educational and training activities of the European Municipalities Network. The training seminar in Deryneia was the 4th out of 5 similar courses in the project’s life cycle for local authorities’ officers and other stakeholders on the following general issues: cooperation models between Local Authorities, organizational structures and good practices for integration and diversity. The training seminar at the Municipality of Deryneia attracted not only local authorities from the district areas of Famagusta and Larnaca, but also representatives from the communal police and teachers who interact with migrants as part of their daily tasks. 

In the frame of the seminar activities, the “European Municipalities Network” project and the online platform were presented. Moreover, the trainers explained in depth key definitions related to the status of Third Country Nationals in Cyprus, such as differences between asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants, analyzed the legal national and European background and presented examples of successful integration policies. The last session of the seminar was focused on the development of intercultural skills of the participants through the presentation of good practices of local authorities across Europe; the audience was indeed engaged in a vivid discussion in an effort to realize practically how they are able to adjust EU practices to the local context. Overall, the seminar was successful with active participation and involvement of all stakeholders revealing their awareness toward migration issues and willingness to benefit from the training course.