THE EUROPEAN

MULTINATIONAL AND
MULTICULTURAL IDENTITY
Assets and tensions, immigration and integration
policies

OVERVIEW, PART I

European Identity
Concepts

of identity
European Values and the EU

Models of looking at Europe

Europe

as a family of nations
Constitutional patriotism
Europe as a space of encounters

OVERVIEW, PART II

From immigration to integration

Migration
Policy
Views

history

towards the future

Integration and effects of immigration

Questions

PART I: IDENTITY

EUROPEAN IDENTITY

Important: one of the three basic conditions for

membership (next to democratic status and
respect for human rights).
But very elusive
Geographically

elastic
Linguistically varied: 23 languages
Religiously diverse, Cf. work on the Consititutional
treaty, 2004
Historically not clear (more clashes than harmony)
No coherent view on the European quality of the
neighbors

The first of May 2004 marked an

important date in the history of
Europe as a political, geographic,
and social entity. Ten European
countries joined the European
Union, bringing in their potential
and expectations, adding a total
population of 75 million people and
a territory of 738,000 square
kilometers. The EU-25 has 452
million citizens.

FEELING EUROPEAN

Barometer 1999
Feeling

European in Luxemburg, Italy, Spain,

France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and
Germany
Feeling national in UK, Sweden, Funland, Greece
and Denmark

Barometer 2004
86

% is proud of their country, 68 % is proud of

Europe
But, 49 % feels there is no shared cultural identity

ACTIVITY 1

Surf to the Eurobarometer site and check how

Europeans today feel about the Union:
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm
How closely do people in your homecountry feel
attached to their nation/region? How has this
evolved over time?

IDENTITY = VALUES?

Sharing an essentially similar view on the world?

Discourse: 5 core values:

Democracy

Non-discrimination
Gender

equality
Physical and psychological integrity
Respect for cultural diversity and identities

ACTIVITY 2

List five qualities (positive / negative ) that you

think are typically European.
Check your list with that of your neighbour.
Keep the list with you to see if it fits with how
Europeans see themselves.

OVERVIEW HOFSTEDE DIMENSIONS

EUROPE
PDI

MAS

IND

UAI

Flanders

39/40

47/50

France

27/29

47/50

13/14

17/22

61

72

4/6

53

Germany

63/65

11/13

18

43

G.B.

63/65

11/13

66

Spain

45/46

51/53

30

17/22

Italy

51

33

Netherlands

11

SHARED FEARS?

SHARED CULTURAL HERITAGE

ACTIVITY 3

Check the publication A community of cultures:

The European Union and the arts. on
http://ec.europa.eu/publications/booklets/move/31/
txt_en.pdf
What do you learn about Europes shared cultural
heritage?

INSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY

Only 4 in 10 feels satisfied with the way

democracy works in Europe
They feel they know very little of how the
institutions work
29 % of Europeans feels that 50 years of Union
have accomplished little to nothing
In 2004, only 54 % voted in Pariliament elections.

ACTIVITY 4

Lets talk on how the Europan Union could

actively promote this idea of European identity.
What actions could be taken?
Read the charta on European Identity:
http://www.europaweb.de/europa/02wwswww/203chart/chart_gb.ht
m. What do you think about the conclusions
made there?

MODELS OF LOOKING AT EUROPE:

A FAMILY OF NATIONS

A family of nations: a polity can only be stable if

anchored in a common history and culture.
Emphasises that European identity has emerged
from common movements in religion and
philosophy, politics, science and the arts
Euro-nationalism that leads to exclusionary
policies within European societies (as regards
non-European immigrants) and the polarisation
of global politics.

MODELS OF LOOKING AT EUROPE:

CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM

A common political culture, or civic identity,

based on universal principles of democracy,
human rights, the rule of law etc. expressed in
the framework of a common public sphere and
political participation.
Artificial distinction between the private and the
public, the subjective and the universal /
Democracy and human rights are not universal
values / Problems related to cultural differences
are ignored.

MODELS OF LOOKING AT EUROPE:

A SPACE OF ENCOUNTERS

A consequence of intensified civic, political and

cultural exchanges and cooperation. As identities
undergo constant change, European identity
would be encompassing multiple meanings and
identifications and would be constantly redefined
through relationships with others.
Overemphasises the ability of people to adapt to
a world in flux und underestimates their need for
stability. Too much diversity caneventually lead
to the loss of identity, orientation and coherence,
and therefore undermine democracy and
established communities.

CONCLUSION PART I:
PRECONDITIONS FOR THE
EMERGENCE OF A EUROPEAN
Politics: the strengthening of democratic
IDENTITY:

participation at all levels and more democracy at

EU level

Education and culture: strengthening of the

European dimension in certain subjects
(especially history), more focus on language
learning,more exchanges etc.
Social and economic cohesion:
counteractingsocial and economic differences

PART II: MIGRATION

In 1620, one of 10 people in

the Netherlands was foreign
born. In a town as
Amsterdam, this could be as
much as one in four!

ACTIVITY 5

Scan the web for some images on migration.

What do these images tell you? What thoughts
and feelings do they provoke?

DIFFICULT OUTSET

Unlike the USA, Canada or Australia, no

Western European country sees itself as an
immigrant society.
Most Europeans still consider mass migration to
be the historical exception. Residing in the same
place throughout one's life is considered to be
normal.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

For centuries, European migration patterns consisted

mainly of movement around the continent, or away from it.
Millions fled religious persecution. Others were driven by
hunger and poverty, including impoverished southern
Europeans.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

1950-60: Workers arrived in their millions to fill gaps in

European labour markets. National policies were fairly
liberal .

People from West-indies and India to UK

Migration from southern-european countries to northern-europe
Contacts with Turkey and Maghreb.

The numbers peaked in the early 1960s, creating a net

European migration figure which is far higher than today's.
These immigrants, mostly non-white, were not expected to
stay.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Policies became restrictive from the 1970s on.

Satiation of labour market. 1973: Migration stop.
1980s: recession. Some possibilities remained:
family reunification, studies, seasonal work, .
This left the asylum system to carry the weight of
the migration wave.
The 1980s also brought about the accession of the
Southern European states Greece, Spain, and
Portugal, which faced initial restrictions in the
movement of people

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

1990s: Germany (unification and close to

Eastern-Europe) had the largest flows of
migrants followed by the United Kingdom.
2000: a number of governments have been
revising their policies to take better account of
employment and demographic needs.
2002: Investing in return programmes.

. There are probably between 2 and 3 million

undocumented immigrants in Europe accounting for 10 to 15 per cent of the total
population of foreigners. Some estimates say
there could be 500,000 a year.

There are probably between 2 and 3 million

undocumented immigrants in Europe accounting for 10 to 15 per cent of the total
population of foreigners. Some estimates say
there could be 500,000 a year.

ACTIVITY 6

Make a sketch of migration histories within your

own family.
Plot your families migration history on a map.
Think about why people migrated and what their
long term perspective was.

ORIGIN OF MIGRANTS

1950-2000: clear push and pull factors:

former

colonial links,
previous areas of labour recruitment,
ease of entry from neighbouring countries.

In recent years, immigrants have been coming

from a wider range of countries and particularly
from lower-income countries.

ACTIVITY 7

Describe the make-up of your own community:

immigrants, migrants, historical minorities, new
minorities.
Try to define what relates all of them.
Would you define your home-society as diverse or
quite homogenous?

MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The pressure to move from developing countries

is being perpetuated by Europe's own policies.
The EU's protectionism, agricultural policies and
subsidies are all contributing to making life
tougher for the developing world, increasing the
pressure for people to leave.
Commission principles
Remittances
The

involvement of willing diaspora members

Brain circulation and limiting impact of brain drain

OTHER PROBLEMS

Smuggling and trafficking networks -> need for

considerable investments
Striking a balance between security and basic
rights of individuals.
Relationships with historical minorities and
policies aimed at them. p.e. Jewish community
Antwerp

POLICY

Tampere 1999
A

comprehensive approach that finds a balance

between humanitarian and economic admission
Fair treatment of third country nationals: to give
them comparable rights and obligations to those of
nationals
Development of partnerships with countries of origin
including policies of co-development

POLICY

2000 onwards: the emergence of a cross-national

European response to immigration, as European
Union countries have become more concerned
about their common external frontier.
The

Hague Programme (2004)

Green Paper (2005)
Policy Plan (2006)

POLICY

Communication by Commission 2000,

recommending a common approach which should
take into account:
The

economic and demographic development of the

union
The capacity of reception of each member state along
with their historical and cultural links with the
countries of origin
The situation in the countries of origin and the
impact of migration policy on them
The need to develop specific integration policies:
based on fair treatment of third-country nationals,
the prevention of social exclusion, racism and
xenophobia and the respect for diversity

ACTIVITY 8

Read the introduction from the Annual Policy

Report on Migration of The European Migration
Network:
http://www.ind.nl/nl/Images/2007%20Annual
%20Policy%20Report%202006%20Synthesis
%20Report_tcm5-164185.pdf
What strikes you?
What differences can you see between the various
European countries?

A NEED FOR MIGRATION?

Future immigration to the EU is likely to

increase, both as a result of the demand for
labour and because of low birth rates in the EU.
Both the UK and
Germany have announced
schemes to attract skilled
immigrant workers.

SOME DATA

Data from the EU's statistical office shows that

between 1975 and 1995 the EU population grew by
just over 6%. From 1995 to 2025 however, this growth
is expected to almost half to roughly 3.7%.
Another reason is that the population's average age is
increasing. The working-age population was 225
million in 1995, and is expected to remain fairly
constant at around 223 million in 2025. The striking
point, though, is that the over-65 population is
anticipated to rise from 15.4% of the EU population in
1995 to 22.4% by 2025.
These population trends are not evenly spread.
Population growth has hit record lows in southern
European countries.

APPROACHES TO INTEGRATION

Multicultural: implying tolerance of cultural and

religious diversity, robust anti-disrimination
legislation and easy acces to citizenship
Social Citizenship: offering a type of quasi
membership in the form of full social and economic
rights, but restricted acces to full citizenship
Republican: allows easy acces to citizenship but on
the understanding that citizens divest themselves
of particular ethnic or religious traits in the public
spheres

ACTIVITY 9

If you were to design an integration course, what

elements would be there?
To get inspired, read the conclusions of chapter 2
in the European Handbook for Integration:
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/immi
gration/integration/doc/2007/handbook_2007_en.
pdf

GOOD PRACTICES
Portugal: SOS Migrant
Mentoring of seasonal workers in UK and
Catalonia
Intercultural sensitivity training for public
service workers
Expanding mediation services (languages, view
on health care, religious dialogue..)

EXAMPLE OF INTEGRATION
PROGRAM: BELGIUM

Obligatory for all new-comers:

Adult

Except:

foreigners centrally registered, -12 months

EU

or Swiss citizens, or their spouses, children and

parents
People older then 65 (except in religious functions)

Primary program
Basic

course Dutch: between 120 and 600 hours

Orientation to the labor market
Social orientation

Secondary program:
Actively

searching for work

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

The construction of a European identity is

neglecting the cultural demands of the minorities
within the member states and fails to produce a
pluralist reading of identity. () A multicultural
democracy that wants to remain true to itself has
to be able to accept difference and diversity within
its realm. (Sami Zemni)
5 times more chance of un-employment
7 times more chance of poverty
Drawn back in schooling and higher education

NEW FORMS OF MIGRATION

Commuting (Eastern-Europe): migration will remain

temporary for the most part, taking the form of a crossborder commute rather than a permanent settlement. 70
percent of the Polish respondents anticipated working in
other Member States for between two months and two years
or for intermittent periods between returning home. Only 12
percent of them intended to work for longer than two years
and 13 percent expressed a desire to settle permanently in
another member state.
Educational migration: a persistent trend in the pattern of
East West migration. Education in Eastern Europe is not
considered to match in full that in Western Europe in
terms of resources.

QUESTIONS?

FURTHER READING
www.euractiv.com : identity debates
www.nouvelle-europe.eu : construction of Europe
www.eumap.org : a diverse compilation of articles
and opinion pieces on the most topical and
important migration issues in Europe.
www.gcim.org: Reports by the Global
Commission on International Migration
www.oecd.org
.