Immigrants make significant contribution to society

Staff Reporter THE Moroccan sociologist, Mohamed Khachani, a teacher at the Mohammed V de Rabat University, confirmed yesterday in Palma that immigration annually contributes a figure of between 2.1 and 4 percent, to the Spanish gross national product. Speaking about the results of a study researched by a workers' union, Khachani indicated that this percentage is equivalent to some 18'000 million euros, ”a little under half of the national gross product of Morocco” which stands at 40'000 million euros. For Khachani, who is taking part in the second Balearics 2015 Conference on Immigration organized by the banking organisation “Sa Nostra”, the report endorses the contribution made by immigrant populations to their adopted countries; an aspect, he felt, that is often ignored. The sociologist and Moroccan economist also made reference to the importance of the wealth generated by immigrant workers in their countries of origin, and pointed out that Morocco annually banks some 3.5 million dollars sent by international transfer from its workers overseas, a figure equivalent to 9 percent of its gross national product. Today, the conference will continue to analyse migratory patterns, population movements and their influence on demographic, social and economic aspects of host societies and countries of origin. Also lecturing at the conference is Antonio Izquierdo from the Unversity of La Coruña. According to this analyst, European society “cannot depend on immigration to solve its problems of old age” because one of the results of the integration of foreigners into host societies “is that the non-nationals come to behave more like the nationals”. In sharp contrast, the Swiss expert, Rainer Münz, believed that Europeans should learn from countries that have “a long-standing tradition of acting as host nations”, such as the United States, Canada and Australia, in order to “implement policies” which “allow both sides to benefit”. For Rosa Aparicio, director of the Institute of Sociological studies from the Pontifica de Comillas University in Madrid, the difficulties in integration for immigrant citizens are generated by the inherent “contradictions” rooted in “control of immigrant numbers” and the “stigmatisation” of foreigners who are legislated against as “irregular”.