Nordic-Baltic Migration Conference Programme 17.09.2026

Nordic-Baltic Migration Conference
FOR-IN 2.0: Temporary Protection as New Normal

Date: 17 September 2026

Venue: Tower Hall of the Estonian National Library, Tõnismägi 2, Tallinn, Estonia

Programme

10.00-10.30 Arrival, registration 

10.30-11.00 Opening remarks  

Moderator:  Tiit Tammaru, Professor of the University of Tartu, Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences 

• Maria Gratschew, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia 
• Eda Silberg, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity, Ministry of Culture of Estonia 

11.00-12.00 Keynotes  

Keynote 1: Beyond Temporary Protection: Aligning Europe´s Exit Strategies with Ukraine´s Return Reality by Ave Lauren, Migration Expert. 

Keynote 2:  Living in Prolonged Temporariness: Experiences of Syrian Refugees and Civil Society Volunteers in Denmark after the Turn to Temporary Protection by Marie Sandberg, Associate Professor of Ethnology, Director of the Centre for Advanced Migration Studies, AMIS, University of Copenhagen. 

Followed by questions, comments and discussion 

12.10-12.35 Coffee break 

12.35-13.50 I session: Temporality as Norm 

12.35 European Protection Policies – Increasingly Restrictive, Selective and Temporary? 

Vilde Hernes, Research Professor, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway 

 12.50 From Temporary Support to Long-term Inclusion: How One-stop Agency Engages Newcomers Who Do Not Initially Seek Long-term Help 

Inese Saldābola, Head of the Integration and Inclusion Agency of Latvia 

13.05  The Permanence of Temporariness: from Short-Term Solutions to Long-Term Realities 

Karolis Zibas, Research and Policy Advisor, Diversity Development Group, Lithuania 

13.20-13.50 Panel discussion 

• Vilde Hernes, Senior Researcher at OsloMET, Norway 
• Inese Saldābola, Head of the Integration and Inclusion Agency of Latvia 
• Karolis Zibas, Research and Policy Advisor at Diversity Development Group, Lithuania 

13.50-14.40 Light lunch 

14.40-16.30 II session: Housing 

14.40 Opening remarks by the Moderator: Kaisa Kepsu, Operations Manager, Nordic Welfare Centre, Helsinki 

14.50 Temporary Protection in Practice: Housing, Reception and Support Measures in Estonia 

Liis Paloots, Head of Continuity and Migration Unit, Social Insurance Board of Estonia  

15.05 Transformation of the Residential Area Tingbjerg, Copenhagen 

Sebastian Lund Saust, Special Consultant, Municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark 

15.20 The Housing Situation of Ukrainian Refugees in Estonia 

Kadi Kalm, Research Fellow in Migration Studies, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, 

Department of Geography, University of Tartu 

15.35-16.15 Panel discussion  

• Liis Paloots, Head of Continuity and Migration Unit at Social Insurance Board of Estonia 
• Sebastian Lund Saust, Special Consultant at Municipality of Copenhagen 
• Kadi Kalm, Research Fellow in Migration Studies at University of Tartu 

16.15-16.30 Conclusions by Tiit Tammaru, Professor of the University of Tartu, Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences 

16.30-17.30 Refreshments, mingling 

Study visits on 18 September

9.00-10.30 Integration Foundation

11.00-13.00 Tallinn Migration Centre

followed by joint lunch 13.00-14.00 at Tallinn Migration Centre

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