The Parlement des Exilés at the Institute!
Tuesday December 2nd, the Académie Notre Europe welcomed members of the Parlement des Exilés (Parliament of Exiles) for a special training morning dedicated to European integration. Between inspiring stories, rich exchanges and civic engagement, this meeting highlights a unique initiative in France: giving exiles a true political voice.
The Académie Notre Europe was happy to welcome members of the Parlement des Exilés (Parliament of Exiles) as part of the university training, which combines theoretical and practical teaching. On this occasion, Sofia Fernandes, Deputy Director of the Jacques Delors Institute and Director of the Académie Notre Europe, gave them a two-and-a-half hour training session on European integration. More than just a lecture, it was a real opportunity for discussion among all participants. The morning was spent discussing and debating the significance of the European Union and looking back at key moments in European integration, particularly through the founding treaties. A second session will complete this learning experience, led by Christine Verger, Vice President of the Jacques Delors Institute.
Launched in 2025, the association was born out of the observation that exiles in France were underrepresented in public debates. This observation was made during the 2024 debates on the European Pact on Asylum and Migration, as well as on Bill No. 2024-42. Its goals is clear : to give exiles a voice and allow them to express themselves on issues that directly affects them.
Seventeen members of parliament, elected nationally last June, took part in this training. They serve a two-year term: the first year is devoted to university training, followed by a second year dedicated to carrying out their mandate. They will then lead several thematic committees tasked with formulating proposals to strengthen the link between exiles and institutions. Among the major themes are the social, linguistic, and professional integration of refugees, women’s and children’s rights, and issues related to charitable hospitals. They come from Guinea, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They are interpreters, cultural mediators, translators, dentists, activists, students, writers, doctoral students in political science, journalists, and more. Nevertheless, they all share the same ambition: to make the voices of exiles in France heard.
Since September 15, members of parliament have also been following technical and political work. Several workshops have been organized with speakers such as Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly and its cabinet, Paolo Artini (UNHCR representative), Rachid Temal (French senator) and Dominique Sopo (President of SOS Racisme), and now with the Académie Notre Europe at the Jacques Delors Institute. This partnership between the Parlement des Exilés (Parliament of Exiles) and the Académie Notre Europe is fully in line with the DNA of our Institute, which is committed to opening up its work to a diversity of voices and backgrounds and to encouraging citizen participation.
