Brussels, le 14/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Europeans say that they believe in the values of openness and liberalism and support immigration, particularly for work within the EU. They are, however, less enthusiastic when this involves migration from non-EU countries. These findings were published in a survey on 13 March in the Guardian newspaper. According to a study of 5,000 people in France, Germany, Spain, Poland and the United Kingdom, a quarter of Europeans questioned regarded non-EU immigration as the first or second most important threat to Europe's future.
Almost 37% of respondents say that they are hostile to this kind of migration, as opposed to 32% of respondents who support it. The survey notes that traditional British tolerance for taking in foreigners is beginning to dim and 47% of British respondents say that they are “against” non-EU immigration (23% say that they are “strongly” opposed) and only 20% support this kind of immigration. This weariness also affects intra-EU migration and the survey notes that the number of opponents to this kind of migration is greater than the proportion of those that support it in the four other countries surveyed, which say that they are in favour of intra-EU migration.
In the context of immigration from non-EU countries, the rates of “opposition” are as follows for Poland, Germany, France and Spain respectively: 25% (as opposed to 46% in favour), 37% (as opposed to 30%), 39% (as opposed to 30%) and 39% (as opposed to 33%) of respondents. These countries are, however, more open to intra-EU migration, with 49% of Germans saying that they are in favour of it, 55% of French and 67% of Spaniards, according to this survey. (S.P./transl.fl)