Migrations Programme - [10/29/2006]

The Difficulties in Finding a European Model of Admittance

The Jordi Maragall Hall of the CIDOB Foundation hosted Admittance Policies and Models, a seminar in which the instruments that exist for facilitating the incorporation of foreign citizens into admitting societies were explained. The event demonstrated the differences between traditional countries of immigration and European countries, in which different models for dealing with immigration are tried out.

The seminar, organised by the CIDOB Foundation, with the collaboration of the Secretariat for Immigration of the Generalitat of Catalonia, featured the participation of John Biles (Metropolis Project); Carlos Jiménez (Universidad Complutense de Madrid); Eduard Rojo (University of Girona); and Anna Terrón (Patronat Català Pro Europa), among others. (Consult programme). (pdf 41kB)

During the seminar, speakers took the societies of Canada and the U.S. as examples, since they were built upon immigration, with models that favour incorporation into a majority or the defence of difference. Nevertheless, the seminar situated the European societies in cultural pluralism or the assimilationist model.

Finally, the participants lamented the difficulties in creating a European model of admittance, as long as the European Union cannot discuss immigration and integration in a scenario different from the Councils of Ministers of the Interior and Justice.

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