THE IMMIGRATION PHENOMENON IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Student : Euridiki Damoulianou

Instructor: Dr. Dimitri’s apostolidis

Course : EU institutions and policies

THE DEFINITION OF IMMIGRATION

Immigration is the process whereby an individual or a group of individuals abandon their home country in order to live permanently in a different place with better working conditions and quality of life compared to their home-country.

Immigration = a controversial and complicated issue.

Two different forms of immigration

Legal immigration

Illegal immigration

• It is governed by rules determined and applied by the host state.

• immigrants cross the border without formal procedures and remain in the host nation without being granted residency or work permits.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PHOTOS

STATISTICAL DATA ABOUT IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE

Each year 2 million individuals immigrate to Europe .

For example, only in Spain during the last ten years, the amount of immigrants has increased by 400 percent .

It is estimated that the number of immigrants towards Europe in the next 40 years, will increase by a significant degree -40 percent.

(Brady, 2008)

STATISTICAL DATA OF IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE A PHOTO

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE

During the1950s high economic development in a number of Western and Northern European Countries, led to labor shortages and to a great need for foreign workers from developing and poor countries

The national immigration policies that were implemented by the European countries during this period are classified into two main categories

a) Rotational

b) Permanent

During 1960s and 1970s, as economic development subsided, the number of immigrants increased dramatically from previous years thus sparking debates and controversies among local citizens and national governments BUT….

due to family reunification and development of sizeable and strong local immigrant communities, the number of immigrants to the total number of local populations in Europe continued to increase

(Hansen, 2003).

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE

During the 1980s the population of legal foreign citizens was about 800,000 in Germany, 500,000 in Italy and 200,000 in the UK.

ON THE CONTARY ….

in France during the 1980s a significant number of immigrants returned to their home-country because there was a limited demand for foreign employers.

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE

During the 1990s the circular immigration was increased significantly.

During this period it was also a high demand for asylums.

FINALLY …

since 2000 an increase of immigrants towards Southern Europe and especially the Mediterranean countries, that is Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy, has been observed (Hansen, 2003).

THE CAUSES OF IMMIGRATION

PUSH factors = a set of factors characteristic of the economic and possibly political conditions of the home nation that push an individual to consider and most likely immigrate to another nation.

PULL factors = Factors that are defined as those that make the option of immigrating to the host country very appealing (Brady, 2008).

PULL AND PUSH FACTORS A DIAGRAM

HOWEVER….

the causes of immigration CANNOT be analyzed into a general context because are correlated simultaneously with the personality, the educational and the cultural background of each potential immigrant and with the circumstances that exist in his home nation and in the potential destination.

THE CAUSES OF NIGERIAN'S IMMIGRATION TO EUROPE

a) Poverty and unemployment

b) Lack of a proper educational system

c) the poor Nigerian medical system (Museckaite, 2008)

NIGERIANS MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AND POVERTY PHOTOS

Impacts of immigration on Europe

Economic impacts

Cultural impacts

• Immigrants significant consumers in the European nations .

• increased demand for ethnic products and development of marketing campaigns with the immigrants as the target groups.

• an increased outflow of capital from the host nation to the country of origin in the form of income remittance.• Small business made by immigrants or the so called “ethnic entrepreneurship”, have influenced European economies .

• contribution to health and education ( with high-qualified immigrants).

• Changes of the European Cuisine and food consumption.

• New traditions in sports brought by immigrants.

• Immigrants have influenced fashion and arts.

Impacts of immigration to Europe

Impact on the

structure of European Countries

• creation of participatory institutions and advisory systems assisting in the incorporation of the immigrants in their host nations.

• Creation of self -organizations and civil society institutions.

• Creation of non-government and civil- society organizations and religious groups.

IMPACTS OF IMMIGRATION TO EUROPE PHOTOS

EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION POLICY

Most of the members of the European Union in October 1999, agreed to develop a common immigration policy in order to manage the phenomenon of immigration towards Europe .

In 2004 the Hague program was implemented which aim was to set Justice, freedom and security in the European Union between the period 2005-2010.

THE HAGUE PROGRAM CONTAINS THESE KEY ISSUES

1) Fair treatment for third countries nationals.

2) A common European asylum system.

3) The development of partnerships with countries of origin and of transit .

4) An analytical approach to the management of migration flows .

5) A European framework to contribute to immigrant’s better integration to the host nation .

6) A policy to return illegal immigrants back to their home town .

7) common visa rules and measures for foreigners to legally work in Europe. (European Immigration Network, 2006).

TO SUM UP….

Immigration in Europe is a complex and controversial issue with a long history, various causes and significant impacts on Europe.

The most members of the European Union have realized that immigration can benefit Europe provided that a common European policy for the management of immigration is implemented.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=8WR4SN8PRY4&FEATURE=RELATED

RESOURCES

Hansen (2003).Migration to Europe since 1945: Its History and its Lessons. The Political Quarterly.

Brandy (2008) .EU migration policy: an A-Z. The center for European reform, London.

European Commission Home affairs. (2011). Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/policies/immigration/immigration_intro_en.htm.

European Immigration Network. (2006). Retrieved June, 1, 2011 from http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/doc_centre/immigration/docs/studies/emn_immigration_2006_en.pdf.

Museckaite( 2008). Reasons for Nigerian people migration to Europe. Roskilde University.

Boswel (2005). Migration in Europe. Hamburg Institute of international Economics.

Salt (2006). Current trends in International Migration in Europe. Consultant's Report to the Council of Europe.