Monday 28 March 2011

News and Updates 28th of March


Muslims in France

In the past, the Muslim population from France used to be rather submissive and did not use to stand up for their rights. The new generation, which is more powerful, thinks that they have the right to fight for a better life and they do not accept to be disregarded in social, political and geographical spaces. However, not all the Muslims do something to improve their situation. Some of them deliberately choose to go against the French culture and do things to shock. 

My opinion

Even if they hold French nationality, the Muslism population is still seen in France as a ‘second hand’ population. Discriminated against, tey only get to do those jobs that ‘fully fledged’ Frenchmen would not do. They are still part of the precariat. France is a lot behind the UK in terms of integration of the Muslim. North-African workers in France are eligible for state-based social security. However, since it is linked to employment history, they can find themselves in a precarious status because of the discrimination they face in the labour market. The main question is whether the system of social protection is effective enough to provide them with security. However, even if discrimination on the labour market is a big issue in France, we should be honest and recognise that many Muslims do no do anything to get a job, but are happy to live on social benefits.


UK: Ban on takaway jobs for non-EEAcitizens

According to new rules, migrants outside the European Economic Area will not be allowed to work in the UK as chefs in takeway restaurants. A similar ban will cover other jobs such as hairdressers, beauty salon managers and estate agent starting April. Immigration Minister Damian Green: "These changes will allow firms to bring in people with necessary skills without migrants becoming the first resort to fill a wide range of available jobs. This government is also determined to get people back to work and provide business with the skills they need from the British workforce - reducing the need for migrants at the same time as we reduce their number."

My opinion

Given the current economic situation, where the unemployment is high, many tabloids refer to 'British jobs for British people'. However, I have one question: “Will British people work in the jobs which will no longer be available to non EEA migrants?”. Probably not.


UK: Tighter rules for student visas

Home Secretary Theresa May stated that that “too many were here to work and not to study”. In that respect, she announced to cut the number of student visas by up to 80,000. New rules concerning the level of English language, dependants, Tier 4 sponsors 5education providers) will be introduces in order to curb the numbers of non-genuine students. Shadow home secretary said that new rules should not damage the education industry which is worth around £5bn/year. 

My opinion

The reforms of Tier 4 have at their core the reduction of bogus students and bogus colleges. Many colleges sell immigration, not education. They provide a route for students to come to the UK, and many of these students are not interested in studying, but working. Theresa May has said that the new rules will not harm universities, but only bogus colleges. I think it is a good way to limit the abuses on the system
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12820645 


REPORT: Migration Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) – UK

Key Findings

  • Longer and more bureaucratic path to ‘earned citizenship’: will newcomers contribute more to their communities, or less? 
  • Some of strongest anti-discrimination laws and equality policies. 
  • 2010 Equality Act makes law and duties simpler and easier to use. 
  • 21-year age limit for sponsors, spouses, partners: to fight forced marriage? 
  • UK policies for non-EU workers and families only half-way favourable: better career opportunities and more secure family life in CA and US. 
  • Schools in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland are some of best prepared for newcomer pupils, leading European countries of immigration. 
  • Strongest commitment to implement intercultural education. 

The numbers of asylum seekers fleeing North Africa are “fiction”, says French official

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, there has not been a massive influx of asylum seers in Europe as a result of the arabic spring. The President of the French Office fr Immigration and Integration stated that except the arrivals in Lampedusa, the mass influx advocated by the media is “fiction”. 

My opinion

I always find it interesting to read the press from different countries. To see what different papers focus on, how they tackle the same topic. I usually read French, British and some European (can I say that?) online news such as Le Monde, BBC, Presseurope and le Courrier International and Marianne. So know you know on what side of the political wing I am! I think we could never find such an article on BBC, could we?
The Lampedusa case should not be overlooked. What I mean is that even if other countries did not receive too many asylum seekers, Lampedusa continues to be the 'sanctuary' for ongoing numbers of people fleeing North Africa. Almost 2000 people arrived on the island on the 27th and 28th of March.

Author: Claudia Paraschivescu claudia.paraschivescu@gmail.com

Tuesday 8 March 2011

News and Updates 8th of March

When the migrants choose to go back…

Eastern Europe, and mainly Bulgaria and Romania are countries which ‘export’ every year their nationals to the West. However, not everybody chooses to stay abroad.
The Bulgarian association ‘Here and There’ was set up by a group of Bulgarian students who, after having studied in Western countries, decided to return home. The starting point of the creation of the association was the moment when, back in Bulgaria, they realised that they had no friends to hang out with. “When you come home after a long stay abroad, it is not unusual to find that all your friends have disappeared, especially if you left the country just after completing secondary school. When I came back from London in 2008, I found myself in a social desert: Friday nights would come and go, and there would be no one to go for a drink with,” remarks Vania. They then decided to create a group of returning students who would meet and exchange ideas and experiences. Now they meet regularly and the most common topics they tackle are around the notion of cultural clash once back home. In Bulgaria “no one says hello or goodbye, and they hardly ever smile. I make a deliberate effort to greet everyone, including bus drivers who must think I’m completely crazy.”

My opinion
The association ‘Here and There’ is a good initiative of a motivated group who want to make a difference in the world of migration. Away from home, they did not forget the importance of the home country. Back in Bulgaria, they objectively realise that there are many things which one misses from what used to be the host country. I think the process of migration as such situates us, the migrants, somewhere in-between the sending and receiving country. This leads to a feeling of, what I call, identitary frustration.

European immigrants and UK social benefits

In 2004 the A8 countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined the EU.  At this point in time the citizens of these country cannot claim any benefits if they do not have a job. They must have worked for 12 months in the UK in order to qualify for benefits. At the end of April all the transition arrangements applied to them will drop. As a result, A8 citizens will have access to British benefits. It is estimated that 100,000 migrants could claim tens of millions of pounds in benefits, as they will be allowed to apply for national government benefits such as jobseeker’s allowance, council tax benefit and housing benefit.
The Department for Work and Pensions said it had no choice but to remain in line with national and international obligations, but has insisted that protecting the benefit system from abuse was its "number one priority".

My opinion:
The EU calls for a common space where all its citizens are treated equally, no matter what European country they are from. The EU has a social based, whereas the UK is a liberal country where everything is related to money. The UK is part of the EU, but it does not share its social principles, where immigrants should have access to the same social and economic benefits as the Britons.
As a student in France (even before Romania joined the EU) I had the right to claim housing benefit. It was not seen as something we should be ashamed of, like in the UK. It was an entitlement. You are a student, you get it. Them, when Romania joined the EU, I even used to get a scholarship of around £300/month most of the students where entitled to if they did not live with their parents. Again, it did not create any stigmatisation.
The UK considers itself to be a very generous state. Well, it is not! Many people think that the immigrants are here to claim social benefits. Most of them do not claim anything as they are not entitled to. And if they are entitled to, that means that they work in and FOR this country, so they pay taxes. They give something to society, why would not the UK give something back to them as well? Why should everything turn around money?

For more on this topic go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12633382

Nick Clegg’s vision of multiculturalism

The issue at stake in the debate over multiculturalism is the segregation of communities. In that respect, Mr Cameron called for an end of multiculturalism.  However, Nick Clegg argued that “Where multiculturalism is held to mean more segregation, other communities leading parallel lives, it is clearly wrong. For me, multiculturalism has to be seen as a process by which people respect and communicate with each other, rather than build walls between each other. Welcoming diversity but resisting division: that's the kind of multiculturalism of an open, confident society. And the cultures in a multicultural society are not just ethnic or religious. Many of the cultural issues of the day cut right across these boundaries: gay rights; the role of women; identities across national borders; differing attitudes to marriage; the list goes on."

My opinion
Nick Clegg’s speech has been seen as a contrast of Cameron’s speech, where it was argued that multiculturalism had failed. His ideas of a multiculturalist society draws on an open Britain where liberal values defeat extremism. People should respect and communicate with eachother. In other words, they should tolerate each other and society should incorporate them. However, "How is a balance to be struck between the need to treat people equally, the need to treat people differently and the need to maintain shared values and social cohesion?" (Commission on Multi-Ethnic Britain 2000). Immigrants should learn the language of the host country, to start with. Then, they should be taught cultural classes. Life in the UK classes focus on history, politics and geography, they should also tackle the concepts of cultural clash and British culture. A way of doing this would be by gathering testimonials of various immigrants. Their experience in the UK could be the base of a textbook on British culture and cultural clash. This would ensure that immigrants would be absorbed by the host society, as they would know how to deal and cope with it. This would ensure that multiculturalism can be achieved, as the immigrants will understand and accept the host society. In an ideal world, the host society should ensure that its citizens are being taught since the youngest age that the immigrants are just foreigners, not strangers.

For more information on this topic go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12638017

Report: The integration of immigrants in Europe and North America

A new study published by the British Council and the Migration Policy Group shows that there are still disparities in how Europe is integrating the 20 million legal immigrants.
The major findings in this study include:
·         Political Participation Citizenship
Generally, migrants are still discouraged from becoming politically active or gaining full citizenship, although the trend in reforming countries is to open voting rights, dual nationality and birth right citizenship (e.g. Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg).
·         Education
Policies are generally failing to address the needs of a new generation of diverse students with few schools required to help teachers, migrant students, and parents address migrants’ specific needs. However there are several countries that are leading in this area (e.g. the Nordic countries, USA and Canada).
·         Labour Mobility
Most countries guarantee equal and secure rights to work for reunited families and long-term residents. However they are asked to fulfil more requirements that many nationals could not (income, age limits, tests without support to pass).
Nearly all countries guarantee legal migrants equal working conditions and access to unions once they begin working.  But nearly half exclude migrant workers, who pay full taxes, from parts of the social security system.
·         Anti-discrimination
Anti-discrimination laws are being strengthened in many countries (e.g. Sweden and the UK) although very few have strong policies and bodies to promote equality in society.

For more on this topic go to: http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/en/news/newsdetail.cfm?ID_ITEMS=18815

Author: Claudia Paraschivescu claudia.paraschivescu@gmail.com

Tuesday 1 March 2011

News and Updates 1st of March


Malta asks for help


As part of the EU, Malta needs to cope with a massive influx of refugees from Libya, as Gaddafi’s regime wishes to take control of the west of the country. Malta’s Prime Minister “has called upon the EU and the international community to assist Malta in its humanitarian mission”, which is now in a “sensitive and delicate” phase given its position as “a peace-living and bridge-building nation”.
As requested by UK, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Thailand, Vietnam and China, Malta is now being used as a transit point. In return, the government asks for help to get 183 Maltese citizens who are currently in Libya back to Malta.
Malta will now have to have the Libyans in the country until their applications will be processed. If they are successful in their applications and will be granted refugee status, thus protection, they will be entitled to stay in Malta.


My opinion

What the EU is doing is ‘passing the buck’ to a country which probably cannot say ‘No’. Yes, the UK, France and Germany, the most powerful member-states host many refugees already, but is it fair, to send the Libyans to Malta? Why not spreading them around various member states? This would make it more manageable, as every country will only get a small number of asylum seekers.  As a result of the ‘Arabic spring’, Italy, Spain, France, Cyprus, Malta and Greece presented joint proposals in favour of a common EU asylum policy which should be in place starting 2012 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12565214).

Europa and the Arabic spring. Does the EU foreign policy actually exist?

In Middle East and Maghreb people have died, are dying and will probably die. The EU has taken no attitude. It has been more concerned with the numbers of people fleeing their home countries and the numbers of asylum claims the EU might receive.
The statements issued by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, or the one following the meeting of the European Council of Ministers did not have any positive outcomes. Moreover, the spokesmen for migration of the European Commission expressed the EU’s concerns about what emigration could mean for the EU.
This could mean that the EU is trying to find its way in matters of foreign policy. The lack of interest and mobilisation only means that there is no common foreign policy.


My opinion

I used to be pro-Europe. I even studied European Studies. When I got to the UK everything stopped. I found more interesting the sound of the Masters’ degree entitled Globalisation and International Policy. I was not sure whether a EU foreign policy existed and this was way the EU deals (NOT) with what is happening in the Arabic world confirms my opinion. Moreover, I have always wanted to believe in the power of ‘human rights’. I have now realised that the EU does not hold to its principle which is “the universality and indivisibility of human rights”. It is sad to see that the EU does not make the difference anymore between migrants and refugees.
EU’s attitude is unpardonable. But what can you expect? There is no centralisation, no common policy. It is only driven by the interests of Germany (and France?). Europe’s aim is to keep third country nationals (citizens who do not hold the nationality of EU member states) outside the EU. It has been referred to in literature as ‘Fortress Europe’.

Immigration in the UK

The Office for National Statistics has released new numbers which show that in 2010, approximately 572,000 people entered the UK on a long-term basis and 346,000 emigrated. That means that net migration (the numbers of people entering the UK and those leaving the UK) has risen by 36%.
The Coalition is now in the process of reducing the numbers of immigrants from outside the EU. Immigration Minister Damian Green stated that their wish is “to bring net migration down to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament”.

For more on this topic: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12535437

My opinion

The Coalition has already put a cap on migration. There are now quotas in place on non-EU migrant workers. International students wanting to study in institutions offering below degree-level courses (colleges) will find it harder to come to the UK.
I am not sure what I should say about this topic. Is immigration a problem? Oh well… it could be argued both sides. The political economy of migration is a tricky one. However my view is that migrants can represent a problem for low-skilled native citizens who can see their jobs ‘stolen’ by happy-with-low-wages migrants. But these migrants contribute to the economy of the host country. They buy clothes, they pay taxes, they send their children to school… They do inject money in the economy of the host country. High skilled native citizens tend to be more tolerant towards immigrants, because they have nothing to fear. They have the security of a job, they have skills and they have a ‘voice’.
This being said, a friend of mine gave me a CD the other day on which he had recorded a BBC show called “The Day the Immigrants Left”. It was basically the story of some low-skilled Brits who were complaining that the only reason why they were unemployed was because “these Eastern Europeans steal our jobs”. The journalist convinced some English employees to let some Brits to work for a couple of days. What happened? Some of the unemployed Brits did not show up at the meeting point, others just gave up because the job it was too dull and difficult.
What is the lesson? Some of the migrants who work in West do those jobs that a native would not do because it is too dull, tedious and difficult…
What’s next? I don’t know. But I hope that (free) movement of persons will trigger tolerance. Acceptance of those immigrants who do not have a choice in their home countries and they only want to work hard in order to afford a decent life. That’s all they ask… a DECENT life, not even a GOOD life.
Migration should be managed, but… how?


France wants more international students

In the process of globalisation international education has become a business. France, which has just passed a low making it easier for the ‘sans papiers’ (undocumented migrants) to be send to their countries of origin is now considering attracting more international students.
In France education is free for everybody – both French people and international students. In the context of the post financial crisis, France, which hosts approximately 500,000 non-French students, is thinking to introduce tuition fees for foreign students. The average cost of one year at university is of approximately £8,000. Foreign students would pay 125% of this amount of money. The idea behind it is that 20% of students, who cannot afford university fees, would get funding to afford going to university.


My opinion

It is interesting to analyse the dynamics of the politics of migration. Close your doors to those who need you (Eg: those who are in danger in their home countries), and open the doors to those who can inject money in your economy.
The idea of tuition fees is, at the end of the idea, a good idea, as it would make French education more competitive. At this point in time it is losing out in front of countries such as the UK, the US or the NL. But since France is in the EU, the French Ministry of Education could not charge EU students and not charge French students, as EU citizens should be treated the same as the citizens of the EU country they are in. And I think that most of the foreign students, in France, come from EU countries. Exception make students from ex-French colonies such as North Africa or sub-Saharan Africa whose governments will probably enter bilateral agreements with French agreements.


Author: Claudia Paraschivescu claudia.paraschivescu@gmail.com