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European Union Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom is heading a European Agenda for Integration. The EU feels that there is a need for better integration of Europe's immigrants.
"The benefits of migration can only be fully achieved if we have good and effective integration," Malmstrom said.
"Unfortunately, many integration measures have failed in meeting their objectives," she added.
She said the EU needs to do more to get new migrants help in learning the language of their new home and to find work and gain an education.
"The Commission cannot and will not integrate migrants, but we can assist Member States and in particular the local level with funding and platforms for sharing of knowledge and experience of what works," Malmstrom said.
"This is important for the people coming here, but also for the European economy and welfare, as the demographic challenges ahead mean that we will soon be dependent on labour migration in order to sustain our way of living", she added.
The EU will need millions of immigrants from outside the 27-member bloc to deal with an impending demographic crisis. The population of Europe is aging quickly. As a result the working age population is falling.
The EU Commission believes that immigration can be beneficial to EU member state economies. A recent study by Obra Social La Caixa found that 30 percent of Spain's GDP growth in the last 15 years was due to immigration. Migrants settling in spain bring with them their skills and experience from abroad which benefits the Spanish economy.
