TO VIMA Migration and Development

MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT
	19.11.2001

As much as it may be met with skepticism by many, the presence of migrants represents a positive factor in the economy, with significant contributions to job creation and economic development. From a cost-benefit analysis, the final economic outcome is positive. This conclusion has been reached by studies of countries with a long tradition of receiving migrants, such as the USA, Canada, and Australia. In Europe, migrants from the South, including many Greeks, played a crucial role in its reconstruction after World War II, as well as in the subsequent economic boom.

However, in the last twenty-five years, with the intensification of migration pressures, there has been a dramatic shift in the migration policies of European countries, as well as in the granting of asylum. The “zero immigration” policy they followed may have reduced legal immigration, but it has sharply increased the number of illegal migrants, as well as the fees charged by smugglers. Thus, the restrictive policy did not prevent those seeking a place in the sun from crossing the borders, nor will it reduce the number of those knocking on our doors, as long as the gap in prosperity between developed and developing countries remains and widens. Moreover, they are returning a visit that was owed to us long ago, when with the colonies, population movements were directed from North to South… Today, the opposite is happening.

Greece, like Spain and Portugal, was a country that exported labor until the 1970s. However, with the end of the Cold War and the rise in living standards, it also transformed into a destination country for migrants. People of every race and nationality, victims of the deadlocks in their countries and desperate due to economic destitution, seek a better fate in the paradise of Europe, a part of which is Greece.

It is a fact that the presence of approximately 1,000,000 migrants in Greece is linked to significant and lasting changes in all areas of our economic, social, and cultural life. The sudden transition from a society with linguistic, ethnic, and religious homogeneity to a multilingual, multi-ethnic, and multicultural society has naturally created tremors within Greek society. Those who believe they are threatened by these changes face the new reality with distrust and fear. Unfortunately, according to research from Eurobarometer and our own EKKE, Greece still holds the top position in xenophobia. However, the fact that today the public debate is not focused on the increased or decreased criminality of migrants, but rather on whether a top-performing student of Albanian descent will hold the Greek flag, shows that Greek society is beginning to get used to and incorporate the presence of migrants into its daily life.

The positive aspects of immigration are rarely highlighted by the media. The contribution of migrants to the increase in domestic product, the containment of inflation, and to some extent, the achievement of the criteria for joining the Eurozone, is overlooked. It is well known that many small and medium-sized enterprises, primarily in the agricultural and construction sectors, were saved thanks to the work of migrants, who often take on jobs that, despite unemployment, have been abandoned by locals. Additionally, migrants have revitalized islands and deserted villages, maintained the operation of schools, boosted the social security system, and slowed down the effects of the demographic problem facing Greece. It is estimated that one-quarter of migrants have university degrees, but only 2% work in related professions.

We therefore need a systematic evaluation of their contribution to economic development, as well as to the enrichment of our culture. Above all, however, it is necessary to establish a legal channel and a common European migration policy that recognizes rights and obligations and ensures social cohesion.