Agreements Reached with Madrid Authorities to Improve Dominican Immigrants’ Integration

Representatives from the National Council for Dominican Communities Abroad (CONDEX in Spanish) signed an agreement with Madrid’s Immigration Council that will benefit the Dominican community residing in Spain .

Mr. Santos explained that the agreement will define initiatives to facilitate the positive integration of the Dominican community residing in Spain through the realization of a training program at the Professional School for Immigration and Cooperation (EPIC).

Alejandro Santos, Secretary of State and Executive Vice President of CONDEX, signed the collaboration agreement with Madrid’s Immigration Council Director, Javier Fernández Lasquetty, according to the President’s Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

Mr. Santos explained that the agreement will define initiatives to facilitate the positive integration of the Dominican community residing in Spain through the realization of a training program at the Professional School for Immigration and Cooperation (EPIC). He added that there will also be exchanges of experience between Spain and other countries where Dominican communities are living so that they can remain connected to each other and their country.

Santos pointed out that it was Dominican President Leonel Fernández, “who first created an instrument for Dominicans living abroad to have a permanent system of connection with the Dominican government which is the purpose of forming the Consultant Councils and CONDEX.”

The majority of Dominicans living in Europe, said Santos, are working and studying, especially those residing in Spain.

Mr. Javier Fernández Lasquetty, from Madrid’s Immigration Council, said the agreement signed with the Dominican Secretary of State was positive in that it guarantees the continuation of actions that contribute to the integration of the Dominican Community in Madrid.

Fernández Lasquety called the Dominicans living in Spain a “working and struggling community” and announced that by the end of November he will be visiting the Dominican Republic.