THE EUROPEAN MULTINATIONAL AND MULTICULTURAL IDENTITYAssets and tensions, immigration and integration policies

OVERVIEW, PART I

European Identity Concepts of identity European Values and the EU

Models of looking at Europe Europe as a family of nations Constitutional patriotism Europe as a space of encounters

OVERVIEW, PART II

From immigration to integration Migration history Policy Views towards the future Integration and effects of immigration

Questions

PART I: IDENTITY

EUROPEAN IDENTITY Important: one of the three basic conditions

for membership (next to democratic status and respect for human rights).

But very elusive Geographically elastic Linguistically varied: 23 languages Religiously diverse, Cf. work on the

Consititutional treaty, 2004 Historically not clear (more clashes than

harmony) No coherent view on the European ‘quality’ of

the neighbors …

The first of May 2004 marked an important date in the history of Europe as a political, geographic, and social entity. Ten European countries joined the European Union, bringing in their potential and expectations, adding a total population of 75 million people and a territory of 738,000 square kilometers. The EU-25 has 452 million citizens.

FEELING EUROPEAN

Barometer 1999 Feeling ‘European’ in Luxemburg, Italy, Spain,

France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany

Feeling ‘national’ in UK, Sweden, Funland, Greece and Denmark

Barometer 2004 86 % is proud of their country, 68 % is proud of

Europe But, 49 % feels there is no shared cultural

identity

ACTIVITY 1

Surf to the Eurobarometer site and check how Europeans today feel about the Union: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm

How closely do people in your homecountry feel attached to their nation/region? How has this evolved over time?

IDENTITY = VALUES?

Sharing an essentially similar view on the world?

Discourse: 5 core values: Democracy Non-discrimination Gender equality Physical and psychological integrity Respect for cultural diversity and identities

ACTIVITY 2

List five qualities (positive / negative ) that you think are typically European.

Check your list with that of your neighbour.

Keep the list with you to see if it fits with how Europeans see themselves.

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OVERVIEW HOFSTEDE DIMENSIONS EUROPE

PDI MAS IND UAI

Flanders 39/40 47/50 8 5

France 27/29 47/50 13/14 17/22

Netherlands 61 72 4/6 53

Germany 63/65 11/13 18 43

G.B. 63/65 11/13 3 66

Spain 45/46 51/53 30 17/22

Italy 51 7 9 33

SHARED FEARS?

SHARED CULTURAL HERITAGE

ACTIVITY 3

Check the publication “A community of cultures: The European Union and the arts.” on http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/move/31/txt_en.pdf

What do you learn about Europes shared cultural heritage?

INSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY

Only 4 in 10 feels satisfied with the way democracy works in Europe

They feel they know very little of how the institutions work

29 % of Europeans feels that 50 years of Union have accomplished little to nothing

In 2004, only 54 % voted in Pariliament elections.

ACTIVITY 4

Let’s talk on how the Europan Union could actively promote this idea of European identity. What actions could be taken?

Read the charta on European Identity: http://www.europa-web.de/europa/02wwswww/203chart/chart_gb.htm. What do you think about the conclusions made there?

MODELS OF LOOKING AT EUROPE:A FAMILY OF NATIONS

A family of nations: a polity can only be stable if anchored in a common history and culture. Emphasises that European identity has emerged from common movements in religion and philosophy, politics, science and the arts

“Euro-nationalism” that leads to exclusionary policies within European societies (as regards non-European immigrants) and the polarisation of global politics.

MODELS OF LOOKING AT EUROPE: CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM

A common political culture, or civic identity, based on universal principles of democracy, human rights, the rule of law etc. expressed in the framework of a common public sphere and political participation.

Artificial distinction between the private and the public, the subjective and the universal / Democracy and human rights are not universal values / Problems related to cultural differences are ignored.

MODELS OF LOOKING AT EUROPE: A SPACE OF ENCOUNTERS A consequence of intensified civic, political

and cultural exchanges and cooperation. As identities undergo constant change, “European identity” would be encompassing multiple meanings and identifications and would be constantly redefined through relationships with others.

Overemphasises the ability of people to adapt to a world in flux und underestimates their need for stability. Too much diversity can eventually lead to the loss of identity, orientation and coherence, and therefore undermine democracy and established communities.

CONCLUSION PART I: PRECONDITIONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF A EUROPEAN IDENTITY:

Politics: the strengthening of democratic participation at all levels and more democracy at EU level

Education and culture: strengthening of the European dimension in certain subjects (especially history), more focus on language learning, more exchanges etc. 

Social and economic cohesion: counteracting social and economic differences

PART II: MIGRATION

In 1620, one of 10 people in the Netherlands was foreign born. In a town as Amsterdam, this could be as much as one in four!

ACTIVITY 5

Scan the web for some images on migration. What do these images tell you? What thoughts and feelings do they provoke?

DIFFICULT OUTSET

Unlike the USA, Canada or Australia, no Western European country sees itself as an immigrant society.

Most Europeans still consider mass migration to be the historical exception. Residing in the same place throughout one's life is considered to be normal.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW For centuries, European migration patterns consisted

mainly of movement around the continent, or away from it. Millions fled religious persecution. Others were driven by hunger and poverty, including impoverished southern Europeans.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 1950-60: Workers arrived in their millions to fill gaps in

European labour markets. National policies were fairly liberal . People from West-indies and India to UK Migration from southern-european countries to northern-

europe Contacts with Turkey and Maghreb.

The numbers peaked in the early 1960s, creating a net European migration figure which is far higher than today's. These immigrants, mostly non-white, were not expected to stay.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Policies became restrictive from the 1970s on. Satiation of labour market. 1973: Migration stop.

1980’s: recession. Some possibilities remained: family reunification, studies, seasonal work, …. This left the asylum system to carry the weight of the migration wave.

The 1980s also brought about the accession of the Southern European states Greece, Spain, and Portugal, which faced initial restrictions in the movement of people

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

1990’s: Germany (unification and close to Eastern-Europe) had the largest flows of migrants followed by the United Kingdom.

2000: a number of governments have been revising their policies to take better account of employment and demographic needs.

2002: Investing in return programmes.

. There are probably between 2 and 3 million undocumented immigrants in Europe - accounting for 10 to 15 per cent of the total population of foreigners. Some estimates say there could be 500,000 a year.

There are probably between 2 and 3 million undocumented immigrants in Europe - accounting for 10 to 15 per cent of the total population of foreigners. Some estimates say there could be 500,000 a year.

ACTIVITY 6

Make a sketch of migration histories within your own family.

Plot your families migration history on a map.

Think about why people migrated and what their long term perspective was.

ORIGIN OF MIGRANTS

1950-2000: ‘clear’ push and pull factors: former colonial links, previous areas of labour recruitment, ease of entry from neighbouring countries.

In recent years, immigrants have been coming from a wider range of countries and particularly from lower-income countries.

ACTIVITY 7

Describe the make-up of your own community: immigrants, migrants, historical minorities, new minorities….

Try to define what relates all of them.

Would you define your home-society as diverse or quite homogenous?

MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The pressure to move from developing countries is being perpetuated by Europe's own policies. The EU's protectionism, agricultural policies and subsidies are all contributing to making life tougher for the developing world, increasing the pressure for people to leave.

Commission principles Remittances The involvement of willing diaspora members Brain circulation and limiting impact of brain

drain

OTHER PROBLEMS

Smuggling and trafficking networks -> need for considerable investments

Striking a balance between security and basic rights of individuals.

Relationships with historical minorities and policies aimed at them. p.e. Jewish community Antwerp

POLICY

Tampere 1999 A comprehensive approach that finds a balance

between humanitarian and economic admission Fair treatment of third country nationals: to give

them comparable rights and obligations to those of nationals

Development of partnerships with countries of origin including policies of co-development

POLICY

2000 onwards: the emergence of a cross-national European response to immigration, as European Union countries have become more concerned about their common external frontier. The Hague Programme (2004) Green Paper (2005) Policy Plan (2006)

POLICY Communication by Commission 2000,

recommending a common approach which should take into account: The economic and demographic development of

the union The capacity of reception of each member state

along with their historical and cultural links with the countries of origin

The situation in the countries of origin and the impact of migration policy on them

The need to develop specific integration policies: based on fair treatment of third-country nationals, the prevention of social exclusion, racism and xenophobia and the respect for diversity

ACTIVITY 8

Read the introduction from the Annual Policy Report on Migration of The European Migration Network: http://www.ind.nl/nl/Images/2007%20Annual%20Policy%20Report%202006%20Synthesis%20Report_tcm5-164185.pdf

What strikes you?

What differences can you see between the various European countries?

A NEED FOR MIGRATION?

Future immigration to the EU is likely to increase, both as a result of the demand for labour and because of low birth rates in the EU.

Both the UK and Germany have announced schemes to attract skilled immigrant workers.

SOME DATA Data from the EU's statistical office shows that

between 1975 and 1995 the EU population grew by just over 6%. From 1995 to 2025 however, this growth is expected to almost half to roughly 3.7%.

Another reason is that the population's average age is increasing. The working-age population was 225 million in 1995, and is expected to remain fairly constant at around 223 million in 2025. The striking point, though, is that the over-65 population is anticipated to rise from 15.4% of the EU population in 1995 to 22.4% by 2025.

These population trends are not evenly spread. Population growth has hit record lows in southern European countries.

APPROACHES TO INTEGRATION

Multicultural: implying tolerance of cultural and religious diversity, robust anti-disrimination legislation and easy acces to citizenship

Social Citizenship: offering a type of quasi membership in the form of full social and economic rights, but restricted acces to full citizenship

Republican: allows easy acces to citizenship but on the understanding that citizens divest themselves of particular ethnic or religious traits in the public spheres

ACTIVITY 9

If you were to design an integration course, what elements would be there?

To get inspired, read the conclusions of chapter 2 in the European Handbook for Integration: http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/immigration/integration/doc/2007/handbook_2007_en.pdf

GOOD PRACTICES

Portugal: SOS Migrant Mentoring of seasonal workers in UK and

Catalonia Intercultural sensitivity training for public

service workers Expanding mediation services (languages,

view on health care, religious dialogue..)

EXAMPLE OF INTEGRATION PROGRAM: BELGIUM Obligatory for all ‘new-comers’:

Adult foreigners centrally registered, -12 months Except:

EU or Swiss citizens, or their spouses, children and parents

People older then 65 (except in religious functions)

… Primary program

Basic course Dutch: between 120 and 600 hours Orientation to the labor market Social orientation

Secondary program: Actively searching for work

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

“The construction of a European identity is neglecting the cultural demands of the minorities within the member states and fails to produce a pluralist reading of identity. (…) A multicultural democracy that wants to remain true to itself has to be able to accept difference and diversity within its realm.” (Sami Zemni)

5 times more chance of un-employment7 times more chance of povertyDrawn back in schooling and higher education

NEW FORMS OF MIGRATION Commuting (Eastern-Europe): migration will remain

temporary for the most part, taking the form of a cross-border commute rather than a permanent settlement. “70 percent of the Polish respondents anticipated working in other Member States for between two months and two years or for intermittent periods between returning home. Only 12 percent of them intended to work for longer than two years and 13 percent expressed a desire to settle permanently in another member state.”

Educational migration: a persistent trend in the pattern of East – West migration. Education in Eastern Europe is not considered to match in full that in Western Europe in terms of resources.

QUESTIONS?

FURTHER READING

www.euractiv.com : identity debates www.nouvelle-europe.eu : construction of

Europe www.eumap.org : a diverse compilation of

articles and opinion pieces on the most topical and important migration issues in Europe.

www.gcim.org: Reports by the Global Commission on International Migration

www.oecd.org ….