Immigration to Europe
Can Europe cope with more immigrants?
In July 2004, as a boat was held off the coast of Italy with hundreds of immigrants from North Africa, unable to return to their country of origin, but also unable to land, we asked our Your Sayers: Can Europe cope? Do you think that immigration is a help or a hindrance to European growth?So what is your view on this?
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‘The approach of most of the people in Europe for emigration is negative and moreover it has been becoming a fear.’
This is origined from the idea that emigrants will give harm to their public life, spoil their culture, steal their jobs and spend the money of their govenment. Actually all those ideas are not totally true but just the way of taking them as negative aspects.
If we mention about public life in the E.U., of course at the beginning the emigrants will need time to adapt to the society and for that the society should be open to them and should not approach with prejudice. Otherwise pubic make their adaptaion harder and longer. But on the other hand, just think what would happen if there would not have been emigrants in the E.U. It is a sad fact but most of the hardest and less healtier works of European counties are done by emigrants. Emigrants work in the factories as workers, take care of old and disabled people, work in cleaning, carrying, packaging or construction jobs. A European would prefer to get unemployed money from the government rather than working in a bad job.
Usually emigrants are uneducated people who lived in worse conditions in their countries – even in worse conditions than the ones which are offered in their new countries. If the E.U. is considered, I do not think that emigration would create a competition for jobs because in general European people are educated and prefer to work in igh-education-level jobs. Thus there is a gap and need of emigrants for the other jobs.
Moreover, the 2nd and 3nd generation of emigrants create a lot of new work and job oppotunities. They also contribute a lot to the income of the country. A good example for that is Turks in Germany. So, the claim that emigrants spend from the money of the country is also misleading and one-sided.
The only problem would be the cultural and social adaptation of the emigrants and this could only be solved when the emigrants feel themselves welcome in the country such as in Canada. For me the most problematic issue in Europe related to emigration is that people do not welcome emigrants and do not let them be a member of the community. The same feature also shows itself with the increasing of racism in Europe.
I prefer not to look at the subject from the side of the people who complain but the from a more humanistic way. We have to see that regardless of their nation, if people are in the need of help we have to give our hand because NO PERSON who lives comfortably in his/her land, if he can earn money and look after his family, if he has basic rights and freedoms would think of emigrating to another country.
‘Immigration is positive.’
According to me the immigration is a help as it means the entry of people ‘who could play an important part in the further development of the Union’s ‘knowledge-based economy’.
By contributing to the economy and paying taxes into the system the immigrant workers are supporting the public services. They are also contributing to population growth, which is related to solution of social problems such as pension system, because nowadays there are less working people and an increasing number of pensioners. That’s why I think that immigration is a help.
‘Europe can cope!’
Oh….a break from sun bathing to write about immigrants?? Well, OK.In fact, Europe can cope. Immigration is a very important issue which has been over and over discussed within the EU as well as in the curcles of those interested in the EU, either it was for a good cause, by ciritizing the policies in order to improve them or from the anti-Europeans who most of the times blame the EU for the blast in the immigration numbers in certain countries. Immigration can be a good thing for the economy of a country.
A significant number of a countries income comes from industrial production, in order for companies to improve their production and income and therefore the state income they need low paid workers, and those workers are the immigrants. It is by far sure that a person of the welcoming country would probably never accept a job as a factory worker, therefore not be interested in doing such thing, and therefore the immigrants do not increase unemployment, and at this point it should be said that the unemployment that concerns the EU is mostly the one of people who have the degrees and the needed knowledge.
However, immigrants can work both ways, ie for the worse of a country. Too many times immigrants work illegally, by being prostitutes or selling illegal things or even increase the criminality rates.My opinion is the immigration should be controled throughout the EU. One can not just ban a person from going to live in the country of their will , however, that person should not harm that country.
If an immigrant is given permission to enter, live and work in a country, he was let in for a reason, what the EU should better look at is the way immigrants adjust to the new environment and how the proper environment is going to be created in the country of origin so immigrants will eventually go back where they belong, especially in the enlarged EU.That way, the immigrant lives a better life, which is the main cause of him going to another country, and the country is benefited.
If the EU wants to lower immigration the proper thing to do is fund the countries so immigration will not have to go to another country. Controlled immigration will benefit everyone. Right, back to sun shine now!
‘I usually view immigration to be a good thing.’
It enhances a culture, introducing new ways, traditions and knowledge to a country. Entire civilizations, the US and Australia to mention but two, have been built on populations of immigrants. However, immigration becomes a problem when it leads to more than a cross-pollination of cultures. Mass immigration can lead to the drowning of cultures, loss of jobs and all the other problems we hear about every day on the news. Can Europe Cope? Yes. I’m no proponent of Fortress Europe…we can cope and benefit from a steady influx of immigrants: providing we don’t let things get out of hand.
‘Immigration is a help to European growth.’
Yes, Europe can cope! My opinion is that immigration is a help to European growth and that without immigration Europe can’t cope! If we see the recent statistics, immigration is the responsible for a new wave of young population able and interested to work and remain with their families (having children). Without immigration, Europe gets older much sooner and can’t compete with other regions of the world. But for this success it is important to develop some measures to assure the right integration of immigrants in the countries – not creating ghettos – and also to be aware of possible mass-waves of immigrates that can create problems if not well identified and controlled.