Report on the 16th International Metropolis Conference
"Migration Futures: Perspectives on Global Changes"
From 12 to 16 September 2011 the 16th Metropolis Conference was held in Ponta Delgada (Azores). Metropolis is an annual international conference trying to connect research, politics, and practical work in the fields of migration and "diversity".
This year’s Metropolis conference intended to extend the geographical scope of the Metropolis project. The participants should get a first-hand experience of the migration perspective of a sending country.
The previous 15 conferences mainly concentrated on migration management and diversity from the perspective of the receiving societies.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees was represented by Dr Bernd Parusel, graduate in political sciences and researcher for the European Migration Network, who actively contributed to two workshops at the Metropolis conference.
Public perception of immigration and its relevance for governance
In many Western countries public debate has concentrated on immigration and integration for some time already. And it was precisely these issues that were addressed by the workshop "Public perception of immigration and its relevance for governance" which was co-organized by the European Migration Network (EMN).
The population’s dominant views on immigration are rarely clear and depend on a variety of demographic factors, environments, times, contexts, and locations. Thus the general public does not have a homogenous view of immigration.
The workshop organisers felt that researchers and policy-makers have not provided sufficient proof of the factors and developments that have the strongest impact on public opinion and of the elements influencing its perception.
Therefore the workshop had the following objectives:
- comparing public opinion of migration in different countries;
- attempting to establish the factors and aspects shaping public opinion and
- establishing to which extend governance is affected by public opinion.
Statements made by international conference participants
Three participants of the conference discussing
Ms Astrid Ziebarth from the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Berlin reported on results of opinion polls in the series „Transatlantic Trends“ which showed that the respondents in all countries surveyed overestimated the proportion of foreigners living in their respective countries. It was also found that citizens who are well informed about immigration and integration have less reservations.
Mr Chris Attwood from the British Home Office stated that according to UK surveys many British citizens (about 70 percent) generally consider immigration a problem. But only a rather small minority thought that they were personally affected; only about 20 percent of the British people saw immigration as a problem in their home town.
In his paper Dr Bernd Parusel presented survey results that attest German society a pragmatic attitude in the debate on immigration as pragmatic, but also indicate a widespread rejection of immigration from Muslim countries. In the last two years public debate were mainly centred on solving the problem of skilled labour shortage for German industry, the controversy around the former Federal Bank Board Member Thilo Sarrazin’s book „Deutschland schafft sich ab“ ("Germany abolishes itself") and the introduction of full free movement for workers from Poland and seven other Central and Eastern European EU Member States.
Ms Wendy Searle from the Ministry of Labour of New Zealand explained that the majority of the population in New Zealand advocated cultural diversity. Surveys showed that a clear majority in New Zealand saw the country’s ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity as one of its advantages.
In conclusion the conference found that an intensive exchange of information and opinions between policy-makers, experts, researchers and the general public is indispensable.
Emigration and its consequences
16th Metropolis Conference in the Azores
The international Metropolis conference also addressed the link between migration and the level of development of the countries of origin and the consequences of emigration. Researchers from Mexico, the Philippines and the Netherlands presented the results of their work.
The discussion in the workshop “Under-explored aspects of emigration: observations from developed countries” focused on a phenomenon currently observed in the EU and in Europe in general: emigration as a consequence of technological development, globalisation and economic ups and downs.
Emigration, both of the original population and of migrants moving out again, represents a challenge for the countries to which the emigrants go and from which they leave. The issue of brain drain does not only affect the developing countries, but increasingly also industrial countries suffering from labour shortages and demographic ageing.
Emigration: observations from Ireland, the UK, Lithuania, and Germany
Emigration from Ireland has skyrocketed since 2009 as a consequence of the financial and economic crisis that triggered high unemployment. Among the first to leave were Irish nationals and labour from Eastern EU Member States that had only recently arrived as labour migrants, as Mr Philip O´Connell from the Irish Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN) reported.
Unlike Germany the UK does not have a population register to establish the number of emi-grants. Ms Rosemary Murray from the British Home Office explained that data from surveys are used instead. The major countries of destination for British nationals that emigrated in recent years were Australia, Spain, the US, and France.
The two representatives from Lithuania Mr Mantas Jersovas und Ms Audra Sipaviciene, said that there are many „transnational families “ in Lithuania in which one or even both parents are working abroad, leaving the children in Lithuania.
Dr Bernd Parusel spoke about the emigration of German and foreign nationals from Germany. Most of the German emigrants go to Switzerland, while the emigration of the non-German nationals reflects Germany’s migration history. Turkish nationals who came as ‚guest workers‘ many years ago and have reached retirement age are going back to resettle in Turkey. Also young Turks are leaving. Labour coming to Germany now is often staying for short periods only. Germany is quite worried, because a large number of the emigrants are highly qualified and industry desperately needs skilled labour. Several industries are experiencing a significant shortage of skilled labour.
Increased emigration will have to be accepted as a normal consequence of globalisation and internationalisation of the world of work. Although incentives could be created to make people stay, e.g. for non-Germans studying at German universities – there will be no way to stop it entirely.
