How do EMN Member Countries provide language and literacy support measures for adult refugees?

Language proficiency is an essential component of migrant integration. It facilitates access to education, employment, services, and fosters overall social cohesion. Providing adequate language and literacy support is therefore an important part of governing a diverse society.

This Migration Memo provides an overview of EMN Member Countries’ different policy approaches to providing language support for refugees, drawing from a 2025 EMN Inform published jointly by the EMN, the Council of Europe, and the OECD.

Key takeaways

• Over half of reporting EMN Member Countries deliver language supports to adult refugees through mainstream approaches. Ireland aligns with this trend, though its decentralised and localised ETB model is unusual.
• Twelve EMN Member Countries offer targeted, refugee-only language support. In Ireland, this applies only to a limited number of resettled refugees.
• Language training that is flexible, affordable, and compatible with broader life circumstances – such as employment and childcare – is more likely to be accessible and effective for refugee learners. In Ireland, while some additional support – including trauma-informed teaching and contextual learning – are available, their provision varies by location and remains fragmented at national level.