Under the project "Building structures for intercultural integration in Cyprus", five Mayors and Deputy Mayors participated in a study visit to the Intercultural Cities of Barcelona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Spain) on 15-16 March 2023.

The group were accompanied by a representative of the Civil Registry and Migration Department, Ministry of Interior of Cyprus, and the Director of  the Spanish Network of Intercultural Cities (RECI) who shared the Spanish experience on the positive impact and challenges of developing and implementing intercultural integration policies at the municipal level.

In a packed two-day programme, the group learnt about the promotion of interculturality in Barcelona including the city’s Intercultural Plan (2021-2030) and how it is implementing its Antirumours Strategy to combat prejudice. They visited Barcelona’s Office for Religious Diversity Issues and the Office for Non-Discrimination and Mediation Services, as well as the Reception and Support Network and learnt about the welcome policies, and Barcelona's "City of Refugee" status.

In the visit to Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the mayors learnt about its intercultural political framework, and the current projects being run in the city, followed by a visit to the neighbourhood ‘El Fondo’.

This activity was prepared and implemented in the framework of the “Building structures for intercultural integration in Cyprus” project which is being carried out with funding from the European Union, via its Structural Reform Support Programme, and in co-operation with the European Commission's DG for Structural Reform Support.