Open ‘fortress Europe’ to migrants, says committee

Date: 26/07/01

By John Shelley

THE EU is being urged by one of its own institutions to open up its borders to allow in unskilled workers as well as 'white collar' labour.

The Economic and Social Committee (Ecosoc), the advisory body which represents trade unions and businesses, says it is a mistake to concentrate on attracting only skilled workers, such as information technology experts.

It says that Europe's prosperity will be threatened unless it encourages immigrants to take unskilled jobs in agriculture, domestic services, construction and the hotel industry. "The member states look favourably upon highly-skilled immigrants, especially in the new technology sector where they recognise a labour deficit," says the committee in a paper drafted by Spanish member Luis Miguel Pariza Castaños. "But [they] fail to appreciate the economic and social contribution made by the immigration of less-skilled workers. The restrictive labour-immigration policies practised over recent decades by the member states have gone hand in hand with rising demand for unskilled immigrant labour in some economic sectors," it adds.

Ecosoc's position contrasts sharply with that of many member states, most notably Germany. Berlin is keen to run a US-style green card system to attract the brightest and best from abroad, but remains sceptical about letting in unskilled staff for fear of endangering the jobs of home-grown workers.

The committee argues that it is only by doing away with the 'fortress Europe' mentality that the EU can tackle the massive industry in human smuggling. "Keeping legal immigration channels closed at the same time as such work is available only encourages illegal immigration," says Pariza Castaños.

And he claims that existing policies for allowing in workers may actually be encouraging organised crime. "Experience would appear to suggest that restricting entry to migrants only if they already have an offer of employment inevitably leads to a substantial proportion of immigration taking place illegally," he writes. "Many employers will only take on individuals they have been able to interview in advance; many jobs are therefore only available to migrants who have already crossed EU borders. There are no grounds to suppose that a new immigration policy might have a negative impact on falling unemployment," the report concludes. "The facts suggest the opposite: immigration will facilitate economic growth and, consequently job creation."

The EU is being urged by one of its own institutions to open up its borders to allow in unskilled workers as well as 'white collar' labour. The Economic and Social Committee (Ecosoc), the advisory body which represents trade unions and businesses, says it is a mistake to concentrate on attracting only skilled workers, such as information technology experts.