In the last decades, the integration process has been stimulated and reflected in a gradual strengthening of the cooperation of member states in individual economic spheres and in the increase in the intensity of relations, also through the implementation of various policies at the EU level, including the regional policy, which aims to ensure union cohesion and to counter divergence processes. The main aim of the article is to identify the existing economic and social disparities in the EU in light of the indicators selected. The challenges for the EU cohesion policy in the face of the changing environment are also discussed. Integration and disintegration processes are currently taking place in the EU, in both political and economic dimensions, which in turn affect EU cohesion. Disparities in the EU can be identified. Various challenges that the EU have been experiencing call into question further and effective union integration, from the economic perspective as well. This gave an impulse to devise EU development scenarios, among which the scenario of multi-speed Europe is close to coming true. It is necessary to intensify integration further, in which cohesion policy will play a leading role, also in the future where it will counter and reduce negative repercussions unarguably associated with integration processes and will stimulate further integration development.

In December 2018, the Italian Parliament definitely confirmed the so-called “Immigration and Security” Decree, which deeply reformed the regulation of Migration and Integration. The present work aims at summarizing the innovations introduced by the new Decree and confront them with the critical remarks and concerns of legal scholars and asylum experts, stressing its conceivable risks of unconstitutionality. Final goal of the article is to challenge what the real aim of the new Decree is: if it ends up increasing precarious and instable living conditions for migrants on Italian soil and therefore threatening social security, rather than improving public safety and protection for citizens and legal residents.

This research examines the role Romania played in the current refugee/migration crisis, and the measures that it has taken in order to integrate the incoming refugees. Quantitative analysis was used in order to reveal the perceptions of the citizens towards the third country nationals at the beginning and after the refugee crisis. We argue that Romania represents a paradox, as it is mostly a country of emigrants with millions of Romanian citizens living, studying or working abroad in other EU/non-EU states. Thus, the question is, will Romania be able to handle the increased number of asylum claims from third country nationals and their subsequent accommodation and integration, if it cannot stop its own citizens from going abroad and making a living there?

This  paper  discusses  the  key  characteristics  of  the  migration  situation  and  overall  trends  in  the  migration processes in the Republic of Moldova. Practically, many of the former Soviet republics were faced with serious social and economic problems. Economical systems of new post-soviet countries were  ill-equipped  to  handle  new  borders  and  customs  barriers.  As  the  “multi-national  state”  was  dissolved, the majority of new post-Soviet states struggled with ethnic conflicts, which triggered the first  wave  of  the  so-called  “great  escape”  of  the  population.  In  Moldova’s  case,  the  Transnistrian  conflict was a classic example of such a civilizational crisis, the solution to which was not found to date. The first wave of the “great escape” was triggered by the hard situation of the national identity formation.  The  “second  wave”  was  a  reaction  to  an  increasingly  poor  economic  situation.  Today,  the formation of the “third wave of great escape” becomes increasingly more evident – perhaps the last one for the Moldavian state. This “third wave” is also connected with integrational processes, mostly  in  the  European  Union  countries.  The  second  part  of  the  article  analyses  the  relationship  between the economic development of the Republic of Moldova and the current migration situation. In general, despite a number of positive changes, such as the reduction of the critical high level of dependence of the economy on financial remittances of Moldovan migrant workers, the level of such dependence  remains  very  high,  and  the  speed  of  development  of  the  Moldovan  economy,  on  the  contrary, is significantly reduced. The paper concludes with four main factors that, in the author’s opinion, are critical for the analysis of the current negative migration situation in the Republic of Moldova,  as  well  as  those  that  may  become  key  factors  that  will  have  a  significant  impact  on  the strengthening of the negative socio-economic situation in the country and the systemic crisis in the future 2035–2040.

Forced  migration  is  a  huge  asset,  but  also  a  challenge  within  Europe.  The  key  to  overcoming  it  is  love,  tolerance,  dialogue,  humility,  self-devotion,  as  well  as  creating  common  and  safe  spaces  for  meeting  and  working  together  in  socially  beneficial  tasks.  In  order  to  prevent  and  solve  problems  arising from taking in refugees of different faiths and cultures, believers of all religions need to accept these tasks as a top priority. Although the role of religion in lives of immigrants has been a subject of interest by scholars, not much focus had been put on the importance of social activism of faith-based community organisations in favour of immigrants. This paper focuses on social networks as playing an important role in the integration process, and examines Turkish Islamic Scholar Fethullah Gulen’s view of integration within current EU policy regarding Muslim immigrants.