The Spanish government took measures this Wednesday aimed at welcoming more migrants. Spain has the particularity of not giving in to current trends among other European governments.
On the Palestinian issue, the Madrid government was one of the first in the West to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the implementation of the two-state solution. He even recognized the Palestinian state.
It is also in the process of standing out on the question of immigration from the rest of the Old Continent where the watchword for several years has been to seal it off.
This Wednesday, October 9, the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez announced a battery of measures aimed at facilitating the installation of new immigrants in the country. A heresy in a Europe where governments compete with contrary measures aimed at curbing migratory flows.
Ahead of a European Union summit scheduled for next week, 17 member states have called on the European Commission to toughen rules on returning irregular migrants to their countries of origin.
Several countries have already taken drastic measures against immigration. Hungary, Slovakia and especially Germany have announced the reintroduction of controls at the internal borders of the Schengen area, thus stepping back on a huge achievement for the citizens of the Schengen countries. this space.
Immigration to Europe: Pedro Sánchez’s indirect response to Bruno Retailleau
In France, a new government was appointed on September 21 and one of the priorities is to fight against immigration.
The far-right Italian government plans to create detention centers in neighboring Albania for migrants rescued at sea. The United Kingdom had tried to do the same in distant Rwanda.
Some European countries are led by far-right parties and others by coalitions including this trend. In the rest of Europe, traditional governments are acting against immigration under pressure from the rise in the polls of populist and extremist parties. This is the case for France, for example.
« Immigration is not an opportunity for France », Repeats Bruno Retailleau since his appointment as Minister of the Interior in the French government on September 21. A sentence that shocked France where personalities from immigrant backgrounds expressed their indignation.
Pedro Sánchez’s words seem to sound like a reply. “ Immigration is not only a question of humanism (…), it is also necessary for the prosperity of our economy and the sustainability of the welfare state », Sánchez defended his new measures this Wednesday before the Spanish Parliament.
It is enough just to “ manage it well “, he clarified.
Immigration: Spain sounds a different story in Europe
Sánchez announced a series of measures, including the recognition of the academic qualifications of temporary workers, the simplification of employment contracts and the reduction of administrative formalities for residency applications.
Observers believe that it is in part thanks to the contribution of migrants, particularly from Latin America, who have filled labor shortages in the technology and hospitality sectors, that the economy Spain is experiencing the fastest growth in the European Union.
Even the least qualified have been of great help to the country. Low-skilled migrants also help the economy, by occupying “ invisible jobs » et « without them, sectors like construction, agriculture and hospitality would collapse », recognized the president of the Spanish government.
However, Spain is also facing the rise, albeit to a lesser extent, of the far right and anti-immigrant sentiment in society. Polls carried out by the newspaper EL PAÍS showed that 57% of Spaniards find that there is “ too many immigrants » in the country and that more than 15% of respondents support the far-right.
As in the rest of Europe, this trend plays on the “ fears » and argues that migrants are taking the place of Spaniards and taking advantage of the country’s generosity. Far-right leader Santiago Abascal emphasizes in his speeches that immigration causes “ an increase in violent crime and strain on social services ».
« They tell us that there is a need for immigrant labor, but they hide from us that young Spanish workers often have to leave Spain to make ends meet. “, reacted Abascal to Sánchez’s project.
But rather than giving in to this trend, the government of Pedro Sánchez opted for economic pragmatism.
The dilemma of combating immigration while maintaining the pace of economic activity faces all the governments of major European countries with aging populations.
In Italy, elected in 2022 on the promise of curbing immigration, Giorgia Meloni announced last December the opening of 450,000 residence permits over three years.
In France, Patrick Martin, the president of Medef, the country’s main employers’ organization, explained last December during the debates on the immigration law that the French economy will ultimately have to resort to mass immigration to continue functioning.
« It’s not the bosses who are massively demanding immigration, it’s the economy “, he said, specifying that “ by 2050, we would need, unless we reinvent our social model, unless we reinvent our economic model, 3.9 million foreign employees ».
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