Global Debates

The European Union is out there to help member states. True. But what the European Union cannot do is to replace member states where they fail to agree or, worse, fail to act. The question of immigration is a good example of it. As the issue becomes preoccupation number one in a growing number of member states, everybody is asking Europe “to do something” about it. But the tendency to upload national problems to the EU without giving it at the same time the legal, personnel, and budgetary instruments to deal with those problems is exhausting the EU’s capacity to act and is opening the room for a growing public frustration across member states. 

After the failed referendum in France and in the Netherlands, the European Union is in a very fragile situation, so the last thing we want is that citizens blame it for failing to tackle illegal immigration when it is member states that don´t really do much about it (see e.g. the recent refusal by member states, specially Germany, to use the Nice’s Treaty “pasarelle clause” which would end unanimity voting when it comes to Justice and Home Affairs).

Given the very different perceptions on immigration across member states, immigration is likely to continue being an (un)policy. Why? Because for some member states, immigration is a security problem (related to crime or even terrorism), but for others it is a social or identity problem (related to Islam and identity); yet others see it as an economic problem (collapse of social services). But in some cases, like Spain, immigration is a solution to low birth rates, labour force shortages in the construction and service sector (tourism) and welfare state shortcomings when providing child- or elderly care. Spain has thus recently regularised 600.000 immigrants, on the condition that they could prove that they were already residing in Spain and that they had a job offer by an employer, thus bringing them out from the black economy. Yet this is a fraction of the actual numbers, because more than three million persons have entered Spain over the last five years ( 600.000 annually!) and they have integrated into the labour market without posing big identity, welfare or security problems. Other countries may face different circumstances, and may want to do different things. But to criticize Spain for both ending the illegal exploitation of more than half a million people and having a booming economy is nonsense.

Therefore, when a closer look at the issue is taken, one sees is that it is very unlikely that we will end up having in the immediate future a European immigration policy which goes beyond mere joint border control. Don´t misunderstand me: “joint border control” is just fine, and we desperately need it if we want the Schengen Area to stay alive and citizens not to get angry at the EU. It is something the EU can achieve, and which member states can´t take care of by their own. So, keep it short, keep it effective, give FRONTEX the means it needs and stop talking about a common immigration policy unless we know for sure we are able to deliver one. Citizens’ would rather see success in modest efforts than failure in big aims.