Balance between deaths and births in the block continues in the negative field, inaugurated in 2012
JOSÉ HENRIQUE MARIANTE
Berlin, Germany (Folhapress) – The population of the 27 countries reached 450.4 million people on January 1, 2025. The brand was reached only thanks to the admission of immigrants, as the balance between deaths and births continues in the negative field, inaugurated in 2012. Since then, it is the arrival of foreigners who sustains the growth of the European population, a trend that intensified in 2022 thanks to the movements. postpandeia.
In 2024, deaths exceeded births at 1.3 million, while the liquid balance of entry and exit of immigrants was 2.3 million. In total, about 10% of the European population is foreign and two thirds of this contingent are distributed in four countries: Germany (16.9 million), France (9.3 million), Spain (8.8 million) and Italy (6.7 million). The accumulation is even more evident when it is noted that the same four countries account for 57.8% of the EU population.
No wonder, the debate on the subject dominates the European political scenario, with the issue of the growing need for qualified workers being almost always obliterated by the news regarding the irregular arrival of immigrants – a trend of falling since last year, with the record of 20% fewer arrests in the first half of this year.
Also in last year’s numbers, in addition to 44.7 million immigrants from outside the continent, the EU housed 29.9 million expats, or 6.4% of the total. The displaced 14 million Europeans are completed that they continue to live in the EU, but outside their home country.
The figures released by Eurostat on Friday also show that only six countries had population growth without depending on the arrival of foreigners: Ireland, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and Sweden; The balance in Denmark was zero. On the other hand, the nations with the most admitted immigrants were Malta (18.7 per 1,000), Portugal (13.4) and Ireland (12.8).
With 500,000 Brazilians living in its territory, Portugal experiences, like several other European countries, a populist and widespread offensive against immigrants. The vote on a package related to the theme, proposed by the Luís Montenegro government, was postponed last week after heated debates. Two deputies of the arrival, ultra-right party, inflamed the plenary as they read the alleged call of a pre-school in Lisbon, full of names of Arabic or foreign origin.
Frequently the subject goes beyond domestic discussion and opposes neighboring countries. On Monday (7), Poland installed control posts on the border with Germany to the measure of reciprocity, as the management Friedrich Merz intensified the policy inaugurated by the predecessor, Olaf Scholz, to try to block the entry of asylum applicants and undocumented refugees.
The controversial measure, an affront to the Schengen Treaty, which determines free circulation on the continent, was adopted from a crime committed by an asylum applicant who legally should not be in Germany. Although seen as innocuous by experts, the containment became the electoral flag of the conservative prime minister.
In Poland, the German attitude gained unbearable contours for Donald Tusk. In addition to an opposition offensive in Parliament, which seeks to make the far right’s victory in the presidential election, the prime minister had to deal with citizens who decided to control the border on their own.
The phenomenon had already been observed on roads that connect Germany and the Netherlands. Ultranationalists like Geert Wilders, who overthrew the Dutch government last month by removing his party from the coalition in power, encourage practice on social networks.
Also a source of tension, the irregular immigration route through the Mancha channel won a UK proposal during an official visit from Emmanuel Macron to London this week. The Keir Strmer government wants to return immigrants to France as it admits who is in the neighboring country with potential for admission to the UK or seeking family reunification.
The strategy, called “one by one” by the British press, has already been used between European Union and Türkiye at the height of the Syrian War in the past decade, which produced millions of refugees. Critics point out that it didn’t work at the time and it won’t work now.
