Europe’s Immigration Dilemma

As leading member-states of the European Union continue to press for tighter immigration controls, a number of developments have taken place.
Riots between locals and North African immigrants over law-and-order disputes are becoming appallingly common.
Far right parties, stoking fears of foreigners, have gained ground.
Proposals have been made for a hefty bond for certain categories of visa applicants in a claimed bid to deter potential asylum-seekers.
The European Union, on the other hand, has come out with reports saying that only an increase in the number of immigrants could compensate for the steady drop in labor supply in the 25-member bloc.
The United Nations Population Fund, too, says that by 2025, the EU would be home to 35 million fewer people than today - a serious problem in view of projections that 159 million new workers will be needed to maintain current labor structures.
A decline in the labor market would tend to affect much more than jobs and income.
With life expectancy increasing in EU nations, governments will be under pressure to earmark additional funds to cover the cost of pensions and health and social benefits for their senior citizens.
The case for more workers paying into social security systems cannot, therefore, be overstated.
At the political level, Britain, Germany and France hope to lay down common policies for accepting immigrants.
Specifically, they want to devise measures to ensure that an immigrant or asylum-seeker rejected in one EU member-state is rejected by all.
Their enthusiasm in seeking increased cooperation against organized crime rings dealing in illegal immigrants is understandable considering the burden such migrants tend to place on the labor market and social security systems.
The growth in right-wing parties in some EU nations may be partly attributed to the social and economic dislocations triggered by the influx of illegal aliens.
Political expediency would force mainstream parties to act tough on immigration while economic prudence would encourage them to adopt an opposite course of action.
EU governments could move to tackle this apparent dichotomy by educating the people on the clear distinctions between legal and illegal immigration and the different realities they represent.