For example, almost 65% of Spaniards, Italians, and Britons said in the survey that there are too many immigrants in their country. Most respondents in EU countries believe that due to the influx of immigrants, it has become much more difficult for native residents to find work, and that the constant flow of immigrants negatively affects healthcare, social security, and education systems. In none of the EU countries does the overwhelming majority of the native population consider immigration beneficial.
Anti-immigration sentiment also affects important decisions at the national level. Thus, on August 11 of this year, the European Commission was forced to allow Spain to ban the entry of labor migrants from Romania until the end of 2012 (Spain's unemployment rate is the highest in the EU at 21%). Anti-immigration sentiment is also growing in Denmark and the Netherlands. This summer, Denmark resumed border controls on its borders with Germany and Sweden.
A group of researchers from Tilburg University (in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands) led by Doctor of Psychology, Professor Diederik Stapel, found that trash on the streets, graffiti-covered walls, and other signs of untidiness are subconsciously attributed to immigrants. To do this, they conducted a survey of volunteers who waited for a train at the same station every day.
Respondents were asked to answer a series of questions revealing their attitudes towards people of other races and religions. It turned out that after the station had not been cleaned for a week, all white passengers expressed a sharply negative attitude towards black fellow passengers. Although it is obvious that there is no less trash from the native population than from immigrants.
And well aware of all these sentiments, the European Commission threatened ten EU countries – Austria, Britain, Germany, Spain, Cyprus, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Sweden – with legal proceedings for delaying the incorporation into national legislation of norms guaranteeing the right to free movement for all persons legally residing in these countries. 'The right to free movement is one of the fundamental rights of EU residents,' said EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding.
Initiation of the infringement procedure is the first step taken by the European Commission in the process of bringing the legislation of EU countries into line with EU law. If the procedure does not lead to a positive result, the case is referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (the highest EU court), which has the right to impose a large financial fine on the offending country. But even payment of the fine does not relieve the 'guilty' country from fulfilling the obligation imposed on it by the very fact of membership in the union. Even if this contradicts the opinion of the majority of the population.
Sergey DEBRER.
