„The majority of French people think that there too many migrants in the country as it is,” said Nicolas Monti, co-founder of Paris-based Observatoire de l'immigration et de la démographie at the conference. The process started in the 60s, but immigrants back then arrived in the country for work, and they planned to stay only temporarily. This changed with the family reunion program of the 70s, and now the country is facing higher numbers than ever before.
Some 40 percent of the record number of asylum applications are green-lighted by the authorities, but 90 percent of those rejected still stay in France,
said Mr Monti, highlighting the alarming data.
What are the effects of runaway migration?
The first effect is budgetary: migration-related expenses take up some 1.4-1.5 per cent of France’s GDP, but such data tend to underestimate the actual figures, Monti said about the worrying situation.
The second effect is related to the distribution of social housing. Some half of the immigrants live in such homes, which decreases the chances of the poorer members of the original population of the country to find accommodation. Thirdly, the influx of unskilled cheap labor pulls down the wages of unskilled local workers, and can even have an effect on the pay of intellectuals.
The fourth factor can be seen on the news: increased immigration may entail an increase in crime. Last but not least, immigration has an effect on national identity, the French expert said, concluding his argument.
Many times, the most problematic task is not the integration of first or second-generation immigrants, said Ralp Schoellhammer, associate professor of political science at the Webster University in Vienna. He added that
the strong German identity, which previously made integration easier, has disappeared by now. The prevalent feeling now is constant guilt, and who would want to identify with that, he put the rhetorical question.
But who are the migrants?
Mr Schoellhammer raised a rarely discussed issue with terminology: who do we consider a migrant? He cited as an example that the largest foreign group in Austria is that of Germans, yet no one considers them migrants. The expert said the key is the similarities or differences between the cultures.
He also cited a historical example related to Hungary: the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was a bloc consisting many languages, cultures and religions, but it was not multicultural.
Those cultures were not equal, and the culture to adapt to was clearly defined,
Schoellhammer pointed out.
Most of the migrants do not accept European values
Tomasz Grzegorz Grosse, professor of political science and European studies at the University of Warsaw also approached the issue of migration from the direction of identities. The greatest problem is that most of the arrivals do not share the European identity, which leads to the formation of parallel societies not only in a country, but even within a single town, he opined.
On the one hand, this leads to a waste of budgetary resources, as it is impossible to integrate those who reject the culture of the host country and whose strong Muslim identity prevents them from accepting European values, let alone the prevalent leftist values of the European Union. On the other hand, it greatly increases the rate of crime and even the chances of the occurrence of terrorist acts, and leads to polarization and radicalization on both sides; just think of the rise of right-wing extremist movements.
If it goes on like this, Europe may be in for riots and even uprisings,
Grosse warned, inferring among other things the unrest in France in the summer.
Number of people equivalent to a big city
The population of Italy has gone through a steep decline due to the alarmingly low birth rates, so it needs workforce, said Piotr Kowalczuk, editor at the Polish Radio and Roman correspondent of the daily Rzeczpospolita. Immigration, however, must be controlled and legal, he underlined.
The Dublin Regulation delegates the problem to the country of entry. Regardless of the fact that countries reject 70 percent of asylum applications, the migrants still stay, or possibly leave for France, Germany or Scandinavia.
We are talking about some 600 thousand illegal immigrants, equivalent to the population of a big city, whose whereabouts and activities are unknown to the authorities.
As they have to make a living, many of them choose a life of crime or they are taken advantage of by organized crime. 31 percent of prison inmates are foreigners, mostly North Africans.
Does successful integration exist?
Are there examples of the successful integration of people from other cultures in Europe? The experts agreed that there are, citing as examples the integration of Latin-American communities in Portugal, Spain or even in Germany. People from Vietnam have also integrated well into French society, and there are even examples of the successful integration of Muslim immigrants in Europe, namely, that of the Iranians in Germany.
It all depends on the extent the immigrants want to get integrated,
the experts said in conclusion.
Cover photo: panelists at the conference of the Migration Research Institute and the Waclaw Felczak Polish-Hungarian Cooperation Institute. (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)
