Immigration and foreign population in the southern European countries : a comparative analysis of trends and policies
Salvatore Strozza, University of Naples Federico II
Antonella Guarneri, Università La Sapienza-Roma
Anna Paterno, Università di Bari
On the basis of a careful examination of statistical information about migration derived from the most
reliable sources available, we propose a framework for the last 15 years of the evolution of immigration
and foreign presence in the new receiving countries of Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece and
Portugal). Particular attention is devoted to the recent changes, either relating to the considerable
number of flows and the rapid increase in the presence of immigrants or to the rise and the prevail of
new sending areas of migration streams.
The specific aim of this contribution is point out the complexity of the phenomenon, focusing on the
following two elements: 1) a consistent recent immigration – mostly irregular – deducible first of all
through the results of last regularisation programmes; 2) a stable foreign population – as a consequence
of family reunions, formation of new families and existence of an increasing second generation of
immigrants – whose characteristics are partly drawn from the data of 2001 population censuses.
Furthermore, these two elements are analysed in a comparative way in order to show similarities and
differences both between the four countries and the different migrant sending areas. Thus, it is possible
to underline the increasing role played by the East-West migrations, also due to the well-known
political and economic events that characterised the 1990s.
These characteristics need a legislative framework. In the last part of the work we examine the current
migration legislation in the four countries with a special attention to the general European framework.
In order to highlight common aspects and elements of originality, in the light of the past migration
experience and current migration peculiarity, the two different dimensions of migratory policies are
considered: immigration policies (entry and stay, asylum and border controls) and immigrant policies
(integration process).
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