Opening the Door: Immigration and Integration in the European Union

Abstract

Immigration into the EU and the integration of those who have immigrated constitute two multifaceted and highly complex policy areas. These topics feature prominently in current political debates, which have been taking place at all levels of government in Europe. Debates have also been taking place within the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and its member parties. In response, the Centre for European Studies (CES) and its member foundations, which are attached to the EPP member parties, have embarked on a joint research project on immigration and integration. The goal of this research project is to contribute to the ongoing debate, share knowledge between countries, highlight areas of EU-wide importance, and inform and improve immigration and integration policies at national and EU levels. The present publication has arisen out of this project. The immigration and integration debate has been driven by both immediate and long-term policy considerations. The immediate considerations include the immigration of between 30,000 and 40,000 people from across the Mediterranean Sea following the political upheavals in the Arab world that started at the end of 2010. The arrival of North African and Sub-Saharan refugees was preceded by a debate on migrant integration in Western Europe. A speech given by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October 2010 caused reverberations across the EU. Merkel criticised one particular model of integration, multiculturalism. She stated that the multicultural concept that different communities should ‘live happily side by side, and be happy to be living with each other’ had ‘failed, and failed utterly’. Subsequent speeches by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy highlighted the problems some immigrants face as they struggle to adapt to the European way of life.