Immigration
Europe: Crisis or Denial? Greetings from the land of blonde braids, cheese and
yodeling. After the alps, aren't those the
images conjured up by thoughts of Switzerland? You might be surprised
then, by a walk through Klein Basel, in the Swiss German part of the country,
where olive skin, kebab and Turkish chitchat are the norm.
Until the mid to late
20th century, Switzerland
was neatly divided into four groups that, despite cultural variations, all
shared very "Swiss characteristics" and lived in relative harmony in
the same small country. In their characteristics, the Swiss German, Swiss
French, Swiss Italians and Swiss Latin-Romans* were united: They were neutral
and peaceful, reserved, polite, very precise, hard working, clean, and criminal
activity was virtually unheard of among them. The same is true today and the
Swiss have been stereotyped as `too perfect,' and even `boring' because of it.
The Swiss, though, naturally think this is the only way to be, and generally
expect all others to be this way. In this regard they can be a bit naive. And
this explains why the cultural diversity and
unfortunate increase in crime that have accelerated with immigration, have sent
shock waves through this most unprepared-for-immigrants of all European
countries.
Switzerland is now one of the most favored of
all European destinations for immigrants, who make up a steadily increasing 20%
of this alpine country's population, and this alarms
the Swiss. The populous recently voted to cut the ratio of foreigners back to 18%, which means the expulsion of thousands
of legal residents is imminent. Like the rest of Europe, and in particular
those countries in the European Union (which Switzerland
is not), Switzerland
is scrambling to cut back on immigration, both legal and illegal. But is it the
right thing to do?
As a recent
Time magazine article so poignantly pointed out, there are two sides to
immigration in Europe. The dark side manifests
itself in tragedies like the murder of a Swiss teacher who fell
victim to a Croatian father's wrath when he tried to assimilate the daughter
into Swiss culture. And in the deadly plights evidenced most
recently by the 58 Chinese illegals found in Dover, England,
who perished in a botched smuggling attempt. But few take the time to
realize that the immigrant population is largely responsible for stimulating
the European economy, creating new jobs and filling those that Swiss don't want
to take themselves.
"Last year," RomeshRatnesar
of Time reports, "the 16 million legal immigrants in Western
Europe earned more than $460 billion." In the European Union,
the number of self-employed foreigners has risen by some 20% in less than a
decade. In some countries, immigrants make up a substantial portion of the
labor force, or even have higher average household incomes. All of that equates
quite simply to spending power. But the notion that a certain amount of
immigration is a good thing, has yet to catch on in Europe. Entry is being blocked more and more, leading to
a lucrative underground world of illegal smuggling. The Dover incident prompted E.U. officials to
review and possibly ease immigration and asylum policies for those with
legitimate refugee claims.
Although it has signed various agreements for work exchange with the E.U., Switzerland
insulates itself from the larger picture, to some extent, by remaining
independent. At the moment, Italian, French and German borders of Switzerland are not substantially secure, and as
the rest of Europe relaxes borders, those in Switzerland may be reformed in the
opposite direction.
This despite a U.N. report released this year which stated that an aging
population and downward spiraling birthrates will result in a labor deficit
that will call for an influx of 35 million adult immigrants by the year 2025 to
stabilize labor and economic conditions.
Right now, today, most of Western Europe is
suffering from a lack of labor for low-paying jobs, as well as a gap in the
technology pool. Foreigners can help fill these slots. Unless Europeans start
having a lot more babies, right now, experts find it difficult to imagine how
the need for immigration might diminish.
Although some strides have been made, proposals such as the one in Ireland, to
bring in some 200,000 skilled laborers over the next seven years, are just too
modest to make any tangible difference. Other programs like those in Germany,
designed to approve residency permits to 20,000 techies
over the next 3 years, are meeting with tremendous resistance.
Resistance, of course, means violence in some cases. In addition to terrorist
tactics and acts of violence against refugees and their camps, organized
hostilities are on the rise. One army in Italy is pushing for an immigration
bill that would allow patrol boats to aspiring illegal migrants should they
show resistance to being stopped.
Neither rolled up welcome mats, nor outright threats to life and limb have yet
to put a halt to the influx though. Each year, hundreds of thousands make the
perilous journey to a new land. And many pay for that journey with their lives.
Next story from your editors: Dying
to Get In
Photos from Time.com:
The
Clandestine Chase
"Follow refugees' and immigrants' attempts to cross into Western
Europe. A photo essay by Marie Dorigny."
Illegal Traffic
"Despite the headline horror of the UK's
recent tragedy, trafficking in human beings is an everyday occurrence in Spain. A special report by Time's Jane Walker in Madrid." Strangers
at the Door
"An influx of immigrants is recasting the Continent's identity. European
economies need more of them."
Snaking
Toward Death
"Desperate illegal migrants are risking their lives to enter Europe. Many are perishing in the attempt."
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