Migrations Programme - [05/30/2007]

The eastern european immigrant communities in Spain

The Migrations Programme of the CIDOB Foundation held a seminar in which a group of experts analysed the migration flows between eastern and western Europe, paying special attention to the processes of integration of eastern European communities in Spain.

Among the speakers at the event were Joaquín Arango, Director of the Centre for Studies on Migrations and Citizenship at the Ortega y Gasset Foundation; Piotr Kazmierkiewicz, a researcher in the Migrations Programme of the Polish Institute of Public Affairs; Manuel Pombo, Head of the Spanish Mission to the IOM (International Organisation for Migration); Anna Bleahu, a researcher in the Institute for Research of Quality of Life of the Romanian Academy; Ruth Ferrero, a lecturer in Political Science at the UNED (National University of Distance Education); and Marek Okolski, Director of the Center for Migration Research at the University of Warsaw.

In the inaugural lecture, Joaquín Arango identified the different ‘Europes of immigration’, highlighting the challenges of constructing a common immigration policy when the needs, perceptions and migration paths of the member countries are so different.

In the session on flows from the east to the west, Piotr Kazmierkiewicz offered Poland as a paradigmatic example of immigration from the east. This immigration, in general, arrives in new destinations in westernmost Europe due principally to the differences in income between the different countries in the EU and also to the temporary work programmes that many western countries have. Kazmierkiewicz insisted that despite the fact that Poland is still not an attractive country for immigration, there are already smaller migrations flows arriving in it from neighbouring countries and from irregular immigration from Asia. The challenge for the countries of the east (as in the case of the countries of southern Europe before) lies in being capable of attracting the most qualified immigrants and providing incentives for the return of low-skill labour, in order to raise expectations regarding the country’s development and growth.

For his part, Manuel Pombo pointed out the importance of migrations in economic transformation processes and highlighted the capacity of the labour markets in southern Europe for attracting immigration from the east: they are dynamic and based on low-skilled labour. In the east-west flows, he emphasised the risk of the social exclusion of groups like the Romanian Gypsies and the vulnerability of some groups from the east in the face of trafficking in human beings for their labour or sexual exploitation.

Later, Ana Bleahu described the main characteristics of Romanian immigration in Spain, highlighting the circulation that occurs in it. She also highlighted the importance of family or social networks in the success of migration projects.

Ruth Ferrero pointed out that the countries of the east share values and cultural elements with their western neighbours and they also have a notable degree of individualism. With regard to moratoriums on the free circulation of citizens of the new member countries, she indicated that the 2004 moratorium did not result in massive flows to Ireland, the United Kingdom or Sweden (the only countries that did not sign it), although, according to Ferrero, there was a certain sway towards these countries. She criticised the fact that the 2007 moratorium responded more to domestic affairs in the member countries than to the reality of migration flows.

Miguel Pajares, in turn, described the entry, residence and social and occupational incorporation of the eastern European groups, principally the Romanian group. He stated that Romanian immigration could decline in the short term and that a significant flow in the opposite direction could occur, which would noticeably affect different sectors of the Spanish economy.

Later, in a session on Civic and Social Participation, Diana Dinu highlighted the difficulties the Romanian population has had in getting the right to vote in the latest municipal elections, and she criticised the requirement of an expressed desire to do so in order to be able to vote. She also showed her concern about the possible politicisation that the immigrant associations could undergo.

Next, Miguel Fonda described the role played by immigrant associations in the mutual knowledge the receiving society and newly-arrived residents have of each other, in addition to the role they play in the social integration of immigrants.

In the final session, the contributions focused on the participation and integration of Eastern Europeans in the labour market.

Mónica Ibáñez indicated that the immigration law and the existence of an informal labour market explained the volume of irregular immigration in Spain, and she noted that the use of qualified workers in jobsbeneath their skill levels signifies a loss for their countries of origin but also a waste of human capital in the destination countries.

Eugenia Markova described the principal characteristics of Bulgarian emigration, which, in Spain, is characterised by having a intermediate level of education and it tends to enter the labour market through construction or domestic service.

In this sense, Rafael Viruela indicated that, in general, immigration from the east concentrates in medium-sized rural communities, where the newcomers have fewer opportunities to find qualified jobs but they have greater social advantages.

Finally, Marek Okolski explained the principal migration periods in Europe since 1945 in the closing session. Since 1988, and with greater emphasis since 2004, Central and Eastern Europe have become a new scenario of migration in Europe. Okolski added that despite fears, the region has not become the origin of massive flows to the west, and, in terms of e-/im- migration, heterogeneity is one of the characteristics of this region.

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