Migration

In light of the wave of populism continuing to gain ground, many European leaders are adopting the intolerant and scapegoating rhetoric of the far right. More than ever, social alliances against the extreme right are needed in order to counteract this trend and to promote the values of a Europe of solidarity.

It was not until the late 2000s that environmental migration and displacement stepped into climate change negotiations. Now that they have however, are the EU and UN doing enough to deal with this growing issue? In the run up to the Paris 2015 negotiations, Esmeralda Colombo explores the debate.

In Portugal, emigration worsens the problems caused by austerity. A recent study documents its dramatic consequences on the demography of the country. As a result of the current trend, the Portuguese population, currently estimated at 10.4 million people, could decrease to 7 million by 2061.

France’s experience with immigration teaches us that unless we provide real equality, including political and social rights, we will always struggle as a society to cope with our changing demographics. For this to happen, we need to step out of our national context and see this as an issue that needs European level and global attention. This includes looking at environmental and social problems from a global perspective.

Hungary has become an interesting test case for integration and migration policies especially with regard to co-ethnic immigration (those of Hungarian descent born in other countries) and of course the migration of people from other EU countries. This complex relationship is not without lessons on exclusion and inclusion.