Disingenuous and harmful

The sensationalist propaganda campaign against Romania and Bulgaria is more than just undignified. Anyone who subscribes to it is choosing to ignore the truth: namely that the immigrants are an asset to the economy.

 

By Clement Booth

 

More than a century has passed since an Irish author brought the iconic villain Dracula, hailing from Romania's Transylvania region, to life in the literary world. Yet horror stories about Romania and Bulgaria, the two poorest members of the European Union, are now making a comeback in several western European countries. These stories are not part of a literary phenomenon, but have been penned by the minds behind current policy and the tabloid press, particularly in the UK.

 

The concept of "migration by the needy" is being thrown around by propagandists in reaction to the freedom of movement now afforded to all citizens of the 28 EU member states. This means that, after a seven-year waiting period, Bulgarians and Romanians are now also free to look for a traineeship or job anywhere in any EU. One would expect anyone who is in favor of an open society and a free and social market economy to welcome the lifting of all restrictions on the freedom of movement across the entire EU.

 

And yet voices from various parties and governments in western European democracies seem to be suggesting that this is a toxic development that is bound to trigger a wave of mass immigration by impoverished Europeans seeking to fall back on the social security systems that their countries offer.

 

This debate of resistance is disingenuous and harmful in more than one respect. It appeals to vague feelings and plays with the concept of "fear" – a convenient but empty universal term which, unfortunately, continues to be wheeled out in the realms of rhetoric and politics whenever there are not enough hard facts to back a theory up. To find this reality reflected in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands or Belgium, however, you would have to use very distorted mirrors. The image that the populists are painting of Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants ahead of the European and other elections is nothing more than a caricature.

 

The decision to declare the free exchange of goods, capital and people as the very essence of the EU was not one made by ivory-towered European bureaucrats. The mandate comes from the member states themselves and from the European Parliament. They were all in favor of admitting Romania and Bulgaria to the EU despite a far from insignificant prosperity gap. Nobody can pretend not to have known what it would mean for the EU to open its arms to countries whose citizens have average gross annual income of between 4000 and 5500 euros. Average gross annual income in Germany is more than 41,000 euros.

 

And the implications dictated by this decision can hardly come as a surprise: namely that the agreements banning discrimination for EU citizens would also apply to Romanians and Bulgarians, as would the duty to treat all European employees equally, the European Convention on Social and Medical Assistance and the Regulation on the coordination of social security schemes. Given the circumstances, it is only right and proper that Romanians and Bulgarians should opt to seek work in the whole of the EU – just as western European countries are well within their rights to use the principle of freedom of movement within the EU to set up businesses in Bucharest and Sofia in order to benefit from the low wages and other cost advantages that these locations offer.

 

Incidentally, the free movement of persons and principle of non-discrimination leave Romanians and Bulgarians with no other choice than to emigrate not only to their chosen destination country, but also to the social security systems of that country. The figures released over the past week suggesting that there are far more people from these countries claiming Germany's "Hartz-IV" unemployment benefit are not a warning sign. After all, they are not automatically entitled to every social benefit. The benefits that can be claimed depend on the case-by-case regulations that apply in every EU member state, as well as on its willingness to actually put national precautions against benefit fraud into practice.

 

It is not the magnetic lure of abundant social benefits that draws people to the West, but rather the strong economy and the prospect of work. The unemployment rate among Romanians and Bulgarians living in Germany is testimony to this: at 7.6 percent (mid-2013), it is well below the average for the immigrant population as a whole and slightly lower than the average for the overall population. Nor can these groups be accused of putting a disproportionate strain on the social security systems. The proportion of Romanians and Bulgarians drawing social and child benefit is much lower than among other foreigners, at 10 percent and 8.8 percent respectively.

 

While the problems that large-scale immigration creates in large cities are real, they can be solved by society as a whole. The fact that the integration of Roma minorities would prove an especially tough nut to crack is hardly surprising. It is unfair to mix this challenge up with the situation of all other Romanians and Bulgarians.

 

One aspect is definitely not being paid enough attention in this debate: the possible advantages offered by the immigration of predominantly young, well-trained employees into countries grappling with a shrinking and ageing population. The argument is either dismissed on the spot as "thinking purely in terms of cost-benefit relationships ", another form of covert xenophobia, or it is swept under the carpet entirely.

 

According to an estimate published by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Germany will need to have attracted around 1.5 million additional skilled individuals from abroad by 2025 if it wants to maintain its current prosperity level. Young Romanians and Bulgarians are already helping to finance the German pension system. Their training – two out of three have completed a vocational training program at the very least – was paid for by Romanian, not German, taxpayers. According to a calculation released by the German Institute for Employment Research (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung), every immigrant from these countries brings a macroeconomic gain of 2000 euros a year.

 

These facts alone – together with a healthy portion of two very old-fashioned virtues, respect and humanity – show that the term "migration by the needy" is steering the migration debate in the completely wrong direction, leaving the issue of the European elections aside. Let us not forget that freedom of movement within the EU is a growth driver for all countries, including countries like Germany or the UK. Obviously, we have to look at how the social security systems can be adjusted in response to the impact of large-scale migration. But it would be counterproductive to use this as a reason to put restrictions on the freedom of movement.

 

The debate in recent weeks shows that a large gray cloud of uncertainty is still hanging over some wealthy societies, which is hardly surprising giving the shock waves sent out by the financial and euro crisis. But protectionism is not the answer. For Europe to prosper in the future, a sense of community, open-mindedness and courage are imperative.

 

With courtesy of Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Clement Booth
Clement Booth

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