Immigration, a hot topic in the European elections

On the eve of the European elections, which will take place between June 6 and 9, immigration is once again entering the public debate in countries like France.

The National Group (RN, far-right) has turned the issue of migration into its workhorse. In fact, he organized the March 26 in Paris the “General States on Immigration.”

YoInspired by Jacques Chirac, who promoted two days of debate on the same issue in 1990, members of the RN, led by deputy Franck Allisio, met to debate the issue. ANDThe event ended with alarming observationsshock phrases and accusations, according to L'Humanité.

In France, where immigration is a sensitive issue, successive governments, both right and left, have constantly legislated to try to reduce migratory flows. But what is the reality of the situation in France compared to other European countries?

Germany, main destination

The data available from the European Union (EU) refers to those who come to live in a country from abroad, whether or not they have foreign nationality, and not only to those born abroad.

In 2022, France was the third host country of the EU, with 431,000 new migrant arrivals, behind Germany (2 million) and Spain (1.3 million), according to Eurostat, the European statistics agency. In terms of population, France is at the bottom, with six new immigrants per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 24 in Germany and 27 in Spain.

Another way to compare the number of arrivals to EU countries is asylum. Fleeing persecution, an asylum seeker is a foreigner seeking the protection of another country. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes this condition.

“Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum in any country,” according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 2023, the European Union and its associated countries recorded a record influx of asylum applicationswhich reached 1.14 million, according to the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA). Germany was the main destination, with 334,000 applications, almost a third of the total. In the same period, Germany received more applications than France (167,000) and Spain (162,000) combined.

“The fact that Germany continues to account for the majority of asylum applications can be explained by several factors, such as the presence of well-established diasporas and the perception of a more favorable labor market,” explains the analyst. Camille Le Cozfrom the think tank of the American Migration Policy Institute.

“The figures would be expected to be higher in Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Greecewhich are countries at the gates of Europe where asylum seekers enter, but many continue to Germany or France,” he added.

In France, as in the rest of Europe, the number of asylum applications increased again in 2023. “The health crisis has aggravated economic difficulties in some African countries, pushing people to emigrate,” says Camille Le Coz. “The lack of confidence in the economy, the persistence of conflicts, but also the increasing possibilities of passing through smuggling networks encourage people to leave their countries of origin.”

France, in line for asylum

Although it is important to know the distribution of asylum applications between EU countries, this figure is not sufficient to assess the real pressure on national reception systems, since Asylum capacity and procedures vary considerably from country to country.

In theory, the Dublin Regulation requires that asylum applications be lodged in the country of entry to EU territory. Among the countries of arrival, Cyprus, with a population of 921,000, received 13 applications per 1,000 inhabitants. France, with a much larger population (68 million), received 2.1 applications per 1,000 inhabitants, making it one of the EU countries with the lowest number.

However, there is no guarantee that an asylum application will be accepted in the country where it is submitted. With only a quarter of applications accepted in 2023, France is at the bottom, behind Germany (34%), Austria and Greece (39%).

The processing time for an asylum application in France increased from 5.2 months in 2022 to 4.2 months in 2023. If an asylum application is rejected, an appeal can be lodged with the National Asylum Court. “Waiting for a response after filing an appeal can last monthsdepriving applicants of access to accommodation and benefits,” says Camille Le Coz.

“The increase in asylum applications worries European governments. For this reason, the European Commission is striving to conclude agreements with countries of origin to limit arrivals,” he adds.

Contradictory immigration policies

In January, the European border surveillance agency, Frontex, announced a 17% increase in irregular entries in the European Union in 2023 compared to the previous year, which revived the debate on how to manage irregular immigration.

In France, the Constitutional Council finally annulled the Immigration Law that, in the version adopted by Parliament on December 19, 2023, provided for immigration quotas, stricter rules on family reunification and a waiting period for non-contributory social benefits of foreigners. Denounced by its detractors as restrictive and racist, this text is part of a European trend marked by toughened immigration policies.

In Italy, the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni has introduced a series of measures to restrict the reception of immigrants. Among them, an agreement signed at the beginning of November with Albania to expel to that country more than 30,000 people rescued at sea by Italian ships. This agreement has raised criticism from observers and associations.

“There is a desire for control and a logic of evading international obligations,” says Tania Racho, a doctor in European Law specialized in asylum issues. “This agreement aims to prevent people in an irregular situation from requesting asylum, which implies obligations of reception and support. “This approach stigmatizes an already vulnerable population.”

Elected on a radically anti-immigration platform, Meloni has had to be more flexible to the labor needs of her country, where one in two vacancies remains unfilled. In fact, the Government has promised 450,000 residence permits for foreign workers in the next three years. “Italy is developing economic immigration while fully supporting the approach of closing the external borders,” continues the expert. “The rhetoric is not consistent with what is being done in practice.

For its part, Greece is striving to simplify administrative procedures for asylum seekers. However, regularization remains a long and complex process. At the same time, the number of people returned increases, an illegal practice that contravenes the right to asylum. In total, more than 2,000 boats have been returned by the Greek coast guard in the Aegean Sea in three years, according to the independent media Solomon.

Deterrent measures

Germany, the main host country for immigrants, has taken a radical turn in its immigration policy to deter asylum seekers.

Under pressure from the extreme right, the Government of Olaf Scholz has abandoned the reception measures of the Merkel era, which had largely opened its doors to Syrian refugees during the 2015-2016 migration crisis. The chancellor has introduced a series of restrictive measures, such as tightening border controls with Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, as well as reducing aid to asylum seekers and requiring a payment card to obtain social benefits.

The only exception where the policy does not appear to be tightened is the Spanish Government's emergency provision of new reception capacity to cope with the continuing influx of migrants into the Canary Islandsespecially from Senegal. The number of people arriving in the Canary Islands in 2023 has tripled compared to the previous year, reaching the record number of 39,910, which has tested the reception capacity of the archipelago.

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“The political uncertainty in Senegal, after the election of a new president, is making the situation even more complex,” says Tania Racho. “It is difficult to know whether the new Government will be willing to cooperate with the European Union on the issue of border management and whether this will translate into a reduction in the number of potential immigrants. In fact, people's trust in authorities is an important factor in their decision to leave their country.”

After years of difficult debates, the member states of the EU last December they reached a agreement on the reform of the European immigration system. The agreement provides for stricter controls on the arrival of migrants to the EU, closed centers near the borders to guarantee a faster return of those who do not have the right to asylum and a mandatory solidarity mechanism for the benefit of “States under migratory pressure” .

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“With this pact, southern European countries, such as Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Malta, will be under strong pressure due to their geographical position at the gates of Europe,” explains Camille Le Coz. “They will be on the front line when it comes to processing the asylum applications that the EU will ask them to process as soon as possible.” Germany and France, for their part, will take a back seat and try to limit secondary movements“Debates on immigration are likely to heat up as the European elections approach.

Text taken from its original in French: L'immigration, enjeu brûlant des élections européennes