The Challenges of Integration for the EUOCTOBER 1, 2003

FEATUREBy Sarah Spencer

Migration is a growing and permanent part of Europe's future. Two factors have led to pressure for a more effective EU strategy to promote the economic, social, cultural, and political integration of migrants and the next generation: recognition of the failure to integrate past migrants effectively, and concern about rising support for the far right. European countries have differing views on both the goals of integration and the most appropriate strategies to achieve it. Nevertheless, the EU does have at its disposal several unique levers to make an effective contribution to the development of integration policy, complementing the primary responsibility of its member states.

Diversity of Integration ExperiencesSome 13-14 million third-country nationals live in the EU, some four percent of the population. A number of patterns, however, make the issue more significant than this statistic would suggest. Immigrants remain concentrated in particular regions and cities, and may remain excluded even after they and their second-generation offspring have become nationals. EU nationals can themselves face barriers to integration outside their own countries but within the union (e.g., Portuguese immigrants in Northern Ireland).

Net migration into Europe is increasing, and is now the largest component of population change. Migrants, moreover, come from a far wider range of countries, and bring a greater diversity of languages and cultures, than in the past. Some European states have only recently become countries of immigration, with no experience of integration strategies.

Migrants bring significant economic and cultural benefits. Some newcomers are very successful in the labor market and enjoy positive relations with other residents. But there is substantial evidence that many face disadvantages on all the key indexes of integration: legal rights, education, employment, criminal justice, health, living conditions, and civic participation. Moreover, migrants and the second

generation can be well integrated on one index (such as intermarriage), but not on others (such as high unemployment).

Migration's Permanence and ImpactOne of the factors leading to an increased focus on integration at the EU level is the belated recognition that migration will be a permanent part of Europe's future. The workers who come to fill skills and labor shortages, refugees, overseas students, and family members who arrive to join immigrant relatives will require a level of incorporation, whether they stay temporarily or permanently. If states are to compete for the "brightest and best," potential migrants must be confident that they will not face discrimination and exclusion. Moreover, EU states cannot afford to neglect the talents of migrants already in the workforce.

Ten new countries will join the EU in 2004, leading to greater mobility of migrants (including of Roma communities). A desire to ensure that their arrival does not provoke tensions, and that the new EU citizens experience equality of opportunity with other EU nationals, also needs to be expressed in policy initiatives.

Public resentment of migrants and fear of difference leads to discrimination, community tensions, and occasional violence. In addition, it has contributed to the rise in support for far-right political parties, which successfully exploit people's fears and resentments. Public anxiety about Muslim minorities (in particular since the September 11 terrorist attacks), subsequent international conflicts, and vocal hostility towards Muslims in Europe all point to the need for a comprehensive integration strategy.

This need has yet to be addressed effectively at the national level. A minority of disillusioned, alienated migrants seeks an alternative sense of identity and purpose by joining fundamentalist groups, thereby further segregating themselves from mainstream society.

A Role for the European UnionThe EU has long recognized that integration is a necessary part of a comprehensive immigration and refugee strategy. The 1999 European Council in Tampere found a new willingness to cooperate in developing

that comprehensive strategy, addressing integration under the heading of "fair treatment of third-country nationals."

Primary responsibility for integration lies at the national and local levels. But EU goals in relation to immigration, economic growth, and social cohesion all require a focus on integration. The EU has the ability to address a range of issues vital to integration through post-entry rules on immigrants and refugees (e.g., in its directive on family reunification); its laws on racial and religious discrimination; targeted efforts for migrants such as the "Equal" program; and its (currently marginal) attention to integration in mainstream strategies on employment, social inclusion, and health.

Since the Amsterdam Treaty of 1999, the EU has had a mandate to require member states to address discrimination on grounds of race and religion. Directives now require member states to legislate on racial discrimination in employment, goods, and services; to establish a statutory body to provide assistance to individual victims; and to ban religious discrimination in employment by December 2003. The JHA Council in October 2002 asked the European Commission to come forward with proposals for a more comprehensive integration strategy. A communication from the European Commission on immigration, integration, and employment was published in June 2003.

Possible Roads ForwardAn effective EU strategy will have to move beyond the provision of common minimum legal standards and information-sharing to the use of its unique levers to promote integration, including:

1. Establishing a mechanism for dialogue and coordination among member states and across the Commission to develop and share good practice on essential elements of an integration strategy such as induction programmes for new migrants.

2. Reviewing existing and proposed EU immigration and asylum measures to ensure that they provide migrants with a secure legal status, rights and responsibilities that reflect their temporary or permanent status, and the maximum possible access to the rights that promote integration—including employment and family reunification.

3. Taking active responsibility for leading a balanced, informed, public debate about the reasons migrants are in Europe by putting into the

public domain information about the contribution they make and barriers they experience, acknowledging public fears, and correcting misinformation.

4. Promoting contact between people from different religious and cultural backgrounds and building a consensus that racial prejudice is socially unacceptable.

5. Taking steps to promote a common understanding across member states of the barriers to integration and of effective steps to address them – within and beyond the labor market – through data collection, research, monitoring initiatives, and dissemination.

6. Ensuring implementation of the EU discrimination directives and establishment of effective bodies to promote and enforce them.

7. Engaging member states, the social partners, NGOs, and migrant organizations, learning from them, sharing ideas on good practice, and enabling migrants to contribute to decision-making, as an essential element of civic participation.

8. Conducting a review to identify which EU policies, programs, budgets, and policy levers are most relevant to integration, including strategies on employment, social inclusion, and health, and ensure that integration objectives are mainstreamed within them.

9. Reconsidering the bar on employment of third-country nationals within the Commission.Conclusion: Obstacles to Agreement on EU strategyThere have been three obstacles to securing agreement on a substantive, EU-wide integration strategy. The first is fear of public resistance to migrants, and to EU involvement in their conditions of stay. Second, the key levers for integration (such as employment policy and family reunification) fall under the authority of different directorates-general at the European Commission, different committees in the European Parliament, and different ministries at the national level—with the usual barriers thus created to developing a coordinated strategy. Third, views differ across Europe on the goal of integration and appropriate strategies to achieve it. In practice, however, no member state is pursuing any of these positions to its extreme. Their own models are not immutable, and are evolving towards greater convergence. The European Commission, in its recent communication on integration, set out comprehensive measures which, if implemented, would make a significant contribution to the

economic, social, cultural, and political integration of migrants across the European Union.

European UnionThe European Union is a politico-economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU operates through a system of supranational institutions and intergovernmental-negotiated decisions by the member states.Wikipedia

Founded: November 1, 1993, Maastricht, NetherlandsCustomer service: 00 32 2 299 96 96Unemployment rate: 9.6% (Apr 2015) EurostatGovernment debt: 87.4% of GDP (2013) EurostatInternet tld: euFounders: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Netherlands, GermanyAwards: Nobel Peace Prize

Significance of the European Union

The European Union has brought peace and stability to Europe. In 2012, the Union was even awarded the Noble Peace Prize.

Joining the European Union has given Finland and other member states a number of new rights. These rights have also meant new obligations. Cooperation across Europe has also created many new opportunities.

Every citizen of Finland is at the same time a citizen of the European Union.

As a Union citizen, you enjoy four important rights:

1. You can travel freely and stay in any EU member state. You can find work in another EU member state. You can travel to most EU member states without any border checks, including Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. This area where travel is free is known as theSchengen Area.

2. You can vote in the European Parliament elections in the member state in which you live permanently. You can stand for as a candidate and represent your country in the European Parliament. The same applies to municipal elections. You can vote and stand as a candidate in municipal elections in the member state in which you live permanently.

3. If you travel outside Europe and need help, the Finnish foreign mission will assist you. If there is no Finnish mission in the country where you are staying, you can turn to the foreign mission of another EU member state for help.

4. If you have been treated unfairly by any EU official, you can appeal to or ask for help from the European Ombudsman.

No duties are paid on trade between EU member states. Exporting and importing goods is simple. Companies find it easy to operate and do business in Europe.

The police cooperate throughout Europe, which makes it easier to investigate crimes.

Educational institutions work together. Students may go to another EU member state to study. School diplomas and employment certificates are accepted in all EU member states. People may work abroad without losing social security.

Common rules bring wealth and stability to Europe. Efforts are made to improve living conditions and cure social ills

This thesis analyses the link that the establishment of European citizenship creates between citizenship, nationality, and immigration policies. To be a European citizen, one needs to be a national of a member state. According to this criterion, nationality and citizenship are bound to each other. There is no possibility of access for those who do not have the status of national citizenship. European citizenship legitimised a privileged position to which not all individuals are entitled, and conditions of access are under the jurisdiction of each member state. It is argued that normatively European citizenship reinforces the ideology of nationality while empirically it has been used to forge a sort of European identity. In other words, the underlying argument is that European citizenship functions to define European identity and nationality functions towards the establishment of national immigration policies. This process leads to the formation of a binary typology of 'us and them', strengthened by legislation and political debates. The formation of the category of 'us' as Europeans does not find a response at the empirical level as the public does not fully identify with the Euro-polity. What emerges instead is that the public regards 'compatibility' between a European and national identity as more optimal. The principal benefit of Euro-citizenship is to re-prioritise the means of citizenship from political rights to social and economic rights. This 'opportunity structure', nevertheless, remains in a void as long as Community membership relies on the condition of nationality. The thesis proposes the introduction of a 'legal subjectivity' based on the redefinition of the concept of legality detached from nationality and grounded in the active exercise of civil, political, and social rights. Such a redefinition is necessary to

sidestep the difficulties entailed in any attempt to separate citizenship from nationality in theory and practice. This would deprive citizenship of its regulative functions in terms of inclusion and exclusion, and it would reduce the importance attached to the inherent link between citizenship and nationality.

PROBLEM OF THE STUDY

The European Union faces major social problems. More than six million jobs were lost from 2008-13 and poverty has increased. Fiscal consolidation has generally attempted to spare social protection from spending cuts, but the distribution of adjustment costs between the young and old has been uneven; a growing generational divide is evident, disadvantaging the young. The European Union faces major social problems.

More than six million jobs were lost from 2008-13 and poverty has

increased. Fiscal consolidation has generally attempted to spare

social protection from spending cuts, but the distribution of

adjustment costs between the young and old has been uneven; a

growing generational divide is evident, disadvantaging the young.

The efficiency of the social security systems of EU countries varies

widely. Countries with greater inequality tended to have higher

household borrowing prior to the crisis resulting in more subdued

consumption growth during the crisis. The resulting high private

debt, high unemployment, poverty and more limited access to

education undermine long-term growth and social and political

stability.

Policymakers face three main challenges. First, addressing

unemployment and poverty should remain a high priority not only

for its own sake, but because these problems undermine public

debt sustainability and growth. Second, bold policies in various

areas are required. Most labour, social and fiscal policies are the

responsibility of member states, requiring national reforms. But

better coordination of demand management at European level is

also necessary in order to create jobs. Third, tax/benefit systems

should be reviewed for improved efficiency, inter- generational

equity and fair burden sharing between the wealthy and poor.

LITRETURE (BOOKS)

The European Union Explained: Institutions, Actors, Global ImpactBy

Andreas StaabIndiana U

Reforming the European Union: Realizing the ImpossibleBy Daniel Finke;

Thomas König; S The European Union and the PeopleBy Mette JollyOxford University Press, 2007

Read preview  Overview

The European Union: A Polity of States and PeoplesBy Walter Van GervenStanford University

Press, 2005

Read preview  Overview

The Idea of a European Superstate: Public Justification and European IntegrationBy Glyn MorganPrinceton University Press, 2007

Read preview  Overview

The Deepening Crisis: Governance Challenges after NeoliberalismBy Craig Calhoun;

Georgi DerluguianNew York University Press, 2011

Librarian’s tip: Chap. 6 "A Less Close Union? The European Union’s Search for Unity amid Crisis"

Read preview  Overview

The Myth of Europe: The Euro Crisis Isn't Really about Money. It's about the Fiction That Europeans Ever Existed at AllBy Harding, GarethForeign Policy, No. 191, January-

February 2012

Read preview  Overview

Europe's Autumn? Popular Sovereignty and Economic Crisis in the European UnionBy Sala, Vincent DellaSeton Hall Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, Vol. 13, No. 1, Winter 2012

Read preview  Overview

Contesting the European Union? Why the Dutch and the French Rejected the European ConstitutionBy Hobolt, Sara Binzer; Brouard, SylvainPolitical Research Quarterly, Vol. 64, No. 2,

June 2011

PEER-REVIEWED PERIODICAL

Peer-reviewed publications on Questia are publications containing articles which were subject to evaluation for accuracy and substance by professional peers of the article's author(s).

Read preview  Overview

The United Kingdom and the European Union: A Struggle over Democracy1By

Strafford, JohnThe Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, Vol. 34, No. 4, Winter 2009

PEER-REVIEWED PERIODICAL

Peer-reviewed publications on Questia are publications containing articles which were subject to evaluation for accuracy and substance by professional peers of the article's author(s).

Read preview  Overview

Widening the European Union: The Politics of Institutional Change and ReformBy

Bernard SteunenbergRoutledge, 2002

Read preview  Overview

Europe Unites: The Eu's Eastern EnlargementBy Peter A. PoolePraeger, 2003

Read preview  Overview

Rethinking European Union Foreign PolicyBy Ben Tonra; Thomas ChristiansenManchester

University Press, 2004

Read preview  Overview

DEVELOPMENT

Over half of all development aid comes from the EU and its members, making

them collectively the world's largest aid donor. Most aid goes to low-income

and least developed countries.

How much does the EU spend on development?In 2013, the EU spent €56.2 bn on development aid – aid from EU funds

combined with aid from EU countries' national budgets.

That amounts to 0.43% of EU gross national income (GNI). EU countries have

committed themselves to reaching the target of 0.7% of GNI by 2015.

Eradicating poverty in the new millenniumEU development policy aims above all to eradicate poverty through a

sustainable approach. Key to this are the UN's   8 Millennium Development

Goals    They range from halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of

HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education.

While the number of people living in absolute poverty has fallen by 600 million

since 1990, less progress has been made towards the other goals, particularly

reducing deaths of mothers and babies during childbirth and providing clean

drinking water. The EU has pledged an additional €1 bn to be used in 79

African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in pursuing the goals on which least

progress has been made.

Promoting development in 2015The EU has designated 2015 European Year for Development. This is a one-year

campaign to show where EU development aid goes and how it helps fight

poverty.  It also aims to explain how tackling poverty around the world helps us

all and to inspire more Europeans to get involved in development work.

After 2015The current set of MDGs will expire and be replaced by a new framework in

2015. In June 2014, the European Commission issued a policy paper called 'A

Decent Life for All: From Vision to Collective Action'. This sets out the EU's post-

2015 agenda for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development,

including the need for a new global partnership.

Helping countries & people pull themselves out of povertyOver the years, the EU has supported many countries in their efforts to

eradicate poverty and create a better future for their people. This is often a

long-term process.

Timor-Leste – creating a healthy environment for country children

One of rural Timor-Leste's main development challenges is the lack of access to

safe water and sanitation. Many children under five die from preventable

water-borne infections that result in diarrhoea and from acute respiratory

diseases.

An EU project aims to give over 5,000 households access to safe drinking

water. Activities involving local communities and schools are already

underway. Families have been encouraged to build latrines, thus expanding

toilet access from 35% to 65%.

Read the story of Ludivina, one of the children whose lives have changed for the

better thanks to this project.  

Giving people control over their own futureEU development policy aims to give disadvantaged people in developing

countries control over their own development. That means:

addressing the causes of vulnerability, e.g. poor access to food, clean water,

education, health, employment, land, social services, infrastructure and a

healthy environment

eradicating disease and providing access to cheap medicines to fight epidemics

like HIV/AIDS

reducing developing countries' debt burden, so they have more money for vital

public investments, instead of paying interest to rich lenders in industrialised

countries

promoting self-help and poverty-eradication strategies

supporting the democratic process

improving respect for human rights, including equality between the sexes

encouraging a more stable economic environment in which businesses can

grow and create jobs.

Examples from Africa

Working to prevent female genital mutilation

Millions of girls and women all over the world are still at risk of female genital

mutilation, particularly in developing countries. However, progress is being

made. Thanks to an EU project with UNICEF in Senegal, for instance, over

5,300 communities have abandoned the practice in just under a decade. The

national action plan to eradicate female genital mutilation by the end of

2015 brings Senegal close to becoming the world's first country to declare

total abandonment of this practice.

This project is part of an initiative that has helped save thousands of girls from

such mutilation in Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Senegal and Sudan.

European Union Negotiations: Processes, Networks and InstitutionsBy Ole Elgström;

Christer JönssonRoutledge, 2005

Read preview  Overview

The Welfare State in the European Union: Economic and Social PerspectivesBy

Pierre PestieauOxford University Press, 2006

Read preview  Overview

Cross-Border Governance in the European UnionBy Olivier Kramsch; Barbara

HooperRoutledge, 2004

ven-Oliver Proksch; George TsebelisPrinceton University Press, 2012 niversity Press, 2013 (3rd edition)