Based on research and first-hand experience in 11 EU countries, the Caritas network has published its Common Home series.
These national publications explore the current reality of migration and its effects on the development of both migrants’ receiving communities and their places of origin. The European Common Home publication will be launched in November.
Available digitally on the Caritas Europa website, these national reports show the links between migration and the economy, culture and politics. The Common Home series also provides recommendations for policy-makers, while maintaining a longterm global perspective.
The aim of the Common Home series is to promote a more balanced and evidence-based debate on migration and development that could ultimately be translated into policies that acknowledge and enhance the vital contributions migrants make to both receiving communities and countries of origin,” said Shannon Pfohman, Caritas Europa Advocacy Director.
These publications highlight the importance of recognising the different national realities and the migration histories in each context. Here are some examples of such differences taken from the national reports:
In Bulgaria, the number of emigrants is 8.6 times higher that the number of immigrants.
The number of foreign residents in Italy matches the number of Italians living abroad.
In Austria, migrants contribute considerably more to the social system than what they receive in terms of social cash benefits.
Migrants in Germany are likewise net contributors to the country’s social security and welfare system and migration labour is filling an important gap, compensating for an aging local population.
Migrants living in the Netherlands have sent remittances to their countries of origin worth three times the Official Development Aid.
Many migrants assume an important political role in their countries of origin, evident, for example, by migrants in Portugal, particularly those from Cape Verde and Brazil.
A further comparative analysis is foreseen in the European Common Home publication, which is to be launched in November. It will provide a regional overview and integrate the findings and recommendations from the national publications.
Meanwhile, Caritas calls for the incoming EU institutions and Member States to take into account the recommendations from the Common Home series, which are backed by the experiences of Caritas employees working with migrants and refugees worldwide, and to implement the necessary policies to enable more welcoming societies that champion global solidarity.
The national Common Home publications are available in English at https://www.caritas.eu/common-home-series/
