Sweden top for welcoming migrants

Sweden top for welcoming migrants

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Sweden is "entirely favourable to promoting integration"

A study of how Europe integrates immigrants has exposed wide variations in the welcome foreign workers receive.

The European Union-backed research found Sweden doing the most to help migrants settle - and Latvia the least.

Overall, EU nations are only doing half as much as they
could, said researchers acting for a consortium of 25 organisations
across Europe.

The study of policies across the continent ranks countries on key factors affecting immigrants' lives.

The Migration Integration Policy Index is produced by a
consortium of European organisations, led by the British Council and
the Migration Policy Group in Brussels.
It measures policies to integrate an estimated 21
million migrants across 25 EU member states by using 140 indicators
including:

Immigrants' rights in the workplace

The opportunities for permanent settlement

Permission for family to join them

Laws to combat racism and prejudice

The five states with the largest immigrant populations -
the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy and France all ranked in the top half of
the table, with Italy coming out best.

Click here for a map of how the countries fare

Between them, these five are thought to be home to at least half of all the migrants across the continent.

TOP RANKED NATIONS FOR INTEGRATION

Sweden

Portugal

Belgium

Netherlands

Finland

Source: Migration Integration Policy index

But overall, the study found that only Sweden scored
highly enough to be classed as a nation entirely favourable to
promoting integration.

While many other states had policies the study said were laudable, each in turn appeared to fall down on at least one key area.

Of all the states looked at, nine had policies classed
as partially favourable, five were middling and 10 nations scored lower
still.
Sweden scored 100% on the rights it gives to foreign
workers and just missed out on the top rating for long-term residency
laws.
In contrast, researchers found Latvia restricts foreign
workers' rights and gives immigrants little political say in the
running of the country.
Researchers scored Sweden and Portugal highest on
policies allowing migrants to bring in members of their family - but
Austria, Denmark and Cyprus scored lowest.
Transparent system

Sweden was also judged best at giving migrants the right
to stay for the long-term, by having what researchers found to be a
fair, simple and transparent system.

WORST NATIONS FOR INTEGRATION

Latvia

Cyprus

Austria

Greece

Slovakia

Source: Migration Integration Policy index

The UK scored highly in this category and also in the
related area of naturalisation - however it was criticised for a
special law introduced to rescind nationality, a power used only once
so far against a terrorism convict.
Ireland, in contrast, scored worst on long-term
residence partly because researchers said migrants' rights to settle
were discretionary and related to employment, rather than time spent in
the country and links put down.
Ireland's government is now one of many across Europe
that is overhauling its migration policies in response to increased
movement of people.

Countries to the east of the European Union scored worst
in relation to policies allowing migrants to play a full role in local
politics.
Reviews of anti-discrimination measures also produced a
mixed picture. Despite strong legal guarantees written into its
constitution and laws, Germany was dropped down the league table.
The index is being launched across Europe on Tuesday
with individual countries being given separate briefings on the data in
the coming months.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7043878.stm
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