EU Commissioner: Migration will determine how Europe will evolve

BRUSSELS, July 11 (KUNA) -- EU Commissoner for home affairs Cecilia Malmstrom Friday blasted myths and stereotypes about migration and stressed that Europe will need more migrants in the future for its development and prosperity.
"Migration is an area that will define how Europe will evolve in the coming years. We have to set our policies based on facts and evidence, not on impressions and myths," she told a press conference presenting a report published by the Migration Policy Centre, MPC, this afternoon.
"We have to act to counter xenophobic and racist influence on political agendas in EU countries. Europe cannot afford to ignore the benefits of immigration and to undermine Europe's recovery from the crisis," she stressed.
On his part, Philippe Fargues, Director of the MPC, told he joint press conference that "between today 2014 and 2030 we are going to increase the number of people about 65 years of age by 32 million in the EU. At the same time we are going to see the number of young workers between 20-35 yeas decreasing by 31 million. So this is the EU of tomorrow if we do not have migration.
"The more immigration you have the less unemployment you have and this is mainly for two reasons; because migrants are attracted by employment and because they adapt to the situation. When unemployment increases too much they try to find a solution for themselves and perhaps they will leave also," he added.
The report published by the MPC, which based within the European University Institute in the Italian city of Florence, examines and refutes eight common stereotypes on migration and asylum, like "we don't need migrants;" "migrants steal our jobs," or "economic migrants are trying to cheat our asylum systems." The report notes that Europe's population projections show a dramatic trend of decrease and ageing that, in the absence of immigration, will translate into an unprecedented reduction in Europe's demographic weight in the world, the unsustainability of its welfare systems, the ageing of its skills. (end) nk.bs