L’Immigrazione è un beneficio economico da incentivare

Secondo l’economista britannico, nonché fondatore di Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), Philippe Legrain, l’apertura verso gli immigrati, oltre che ad essere moralmente giusta, è anche economicamente e culturalmente arricchente. Per Legrain la libertà di movimento, all’interno di un mondo sempre più interconnesso e globalizzato, è uno dei principali diritti da difendere e promuovere, perché solo attraverso questo principio fondamentale l’individuo ha la reale possibilità di definirsi nel corso della sua vita, non solamente attraverso gli standard culturali del suo luogo di nascita, ma anche per le sue reali capacità e doti personali. Nell’ottica di un mondo sempre più aperto e multiculturale, secondo Legrain, l’immigrazione permette inoltre un arricchimento sociale e culturale per tutti i cittadini di un Paese: l’arrivo di persone da altri Stati, infatti, comporta la diffusione di una più ampia dieta gastronomica, induce ad una maggiore creatività nell’arte e nella musica e consente un allargamento delle relazioni sociali che stimola l’innovazione e la conoscenza del mondo. L’immigrazione, insomma, non comporta la sostituzione della cultura nativa con quella degli “stranieri”, bensì l’integrazione e l’arricchimento di entrambe.

Leggi l’articolo di Daniele Cornia.

A speck in the night

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A vessel overladen with migrants, near the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Photo by Mashid Mohadjerin/ Reporters, from the World Press Photo Awards.

Berlusconi’s noxious immigration crackdown

First they went after the gypsies… and now the vile Berlusconi government is trying to crack down on immigrants more generally.

Under a proposed new law, doctors would be able to snitch on illegal immigrants they treat, while foreigners who fail to leave Italy after receiving a deportation order could be imprisoned for up to 4 years, reports El Pais.

During his various terms in office, Berlusconi has pushed through all manner of legal reforms to protect himself against potential criminal proceedings. Opinions may differ as to who belongs in jail. I couldn't possibly comment.

Spain attracts most immigrants in EU in 2007

Net immigration to the EU – immigrants less emigrants – was 1.9 million in 2007, according to Eurostat. Since the EU population is just shy of 500 million, the immigration rate was 0.38%.

Spain had the highest level of net immigration: 702,000; Italy was second, with 494,000; Britain third, with 175,000. The Netherlands experienced net emigration, with 1,600 more people leaving than arriving.

Another day in Europe’s war on immigration

1. Nine young children and six adults have died, with four more in a very serious state, in the latest tragic attempt by Africans to reach Europe. Full article in Spanish at El Pais; photos here.

2. The European Parliament has passed a motion demanding that the Berlusconi government stop collecting the fingerprints of gypsies in Italy, who are the targets of an increasingly violent anti-immigrant backlash. El Pais has the full story.

3. A 32-year old Moroccan woman, who is married to a Frenchman and has 3 children who were born in France, has had her normally automatic request for French citizenship denied for wearing a burqa, which France’s constutional council deems "incompatible with the fundamental values of the French community, and notably equality between men and women." Full article in French in Le Monde.