The European refugee crisis is considered to be the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our century. When the crisis emerged in 2015, it stimulated the need for cooperation between many actors at the national, sub-national and European Union levels. Particular attention has been focused on Germany as the country opened its doors to a record amount of refugees, making integrating these individuals into the new society one of the central challenges for the nation- state. The master's thesis based on the concept of multilevel governance and the case study of the city of Berlin offers insight into the formulation and coordination of integration policy at all administrative levels as well as the reflection of these policies on the socio-economic dimension of integration (labor market, education, accommodation, health system). Moreover, the thesis presents a detailed overview of horizontal coordination mechanisms of governmental and non-governmental actors, which are essential for policy coordination of the complex German administrative system. Research shows that multilevel governance has been key to achieving the objectives of integration policy, with a more common European approach and solidarity needed in the future. An important role for the integration of refugees was played by the sub-national level which, in addition to the implementation and enforcement of national policies, maintained the freedom to formulate its own integration strategies tailored to specific local needs. Despite significant progress, there are still areas for improvement at the German level, with a greater emphasis on civil society's role.
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