SPAIN: IMMIGRATION UPDATE 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 001597 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SMIG SP SUBJECT: SPAIN: IMMIGRATION UPDATE 2007 REF: 2006 STATE 2391 MADRID 00001597 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In 2006, Spain's population rose from 43,758,300 to 45,166,894 according to the national census. Of the additional 1.35 million people, the majority were immigrants. Over the last six years, the overall immigrant population in Spain has more than doubled to 4.5 million. In the last few years, Spain has gone from being a net recipient of overseas-worker remittances to the world's second largest source of such funds. But even as Spain has continued to receive large numbers of immigrants, it has sought to counter illegal immigration by implementing visa requirements and increasing its focus on North and West African countries, leading to a sharp decrease in African migration compared to a year ago. Despite the large influx of immigrants, Spanish polls suggest that Spaniards have the most favorable view of immigration within the European Union, though that could change if Spain suffers an economic slowdown or the construction boom ends. END SUMMARY. //IMMIGRANT DEMOGRAPHICS// ¶2. (U) According to the Spanish Census, in January 2007 Spain had almost 4.5 million immigrants (legal and illegal) of whom 3.2 million were not EU citizens. The illegal immigrant population in January 2007 was approximately 1 million. Most of the immigrant population in Spain is made up of non European Union citizens. Mid-year 2007 figures show Moroccans representing the largest immigrant group in Spain with approximately 575,000 Moroccans living in Spain. Other major non-EU immigrants sources are Ecuadorians (420,000), Colombians (260,000),Bolivians (200,000),and Argentines (140,000),followed by China and Peru. Among fellow EU members, the largest immigrant sources are Romania (525,000), United Kingdom (315,000),Germany (165,000),and Italy (115,000),followed by Bulgaria and France. //DOMESTIC ECONOMIC IMPACT// ¶3. (U) The industry that employs the most immigrants is construction. Most of these jobs are offered on a temporary, contract basis and are therefore very accessible to immigrant workers. Agricultural businesses also frequently employ immigrants, while others find private employment in child care and housekeeping. As a result of the increased employment of immigrants in domestic settings, Spanish women are entering the work force more rapidly. �00A;¶4. (U) Immigration has had a positive impact on Spain's economy. In late 2006 the GOS reported that immigration had sparked a 30 percent growth in Spain's economy over the last 10 years and a 50 percent growth over the last five years. Immigrants have also helped to boost employment figures by filling 50 percent more jobs since 2001. Of the 687,500 new jobs that were created in 2006, two thirds of those jobs were filled by immigrants. 5.(U) Although immigration has been beneficial to Spain's economy on a short-term scale, economists fear that in the long-run, it will only hinder Spain's economy as some legalized immigrants have placed a strain on the Social Security system. As of June 2007, there were 2,034,750 immigrants included in Social Security. According to a study performed by the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the average immigrant contributes 1,468 euros in taxes, social security, and VAT to the State , while the average public investment per immigrant exceeds 2,097 euros for education, social services and health. ¶6. (U) At the beginning of 2007, there were 372,000 unemployed immigrants. As a response to this negative trend, Consuelo Rumi, Spanish Secretary of State of Immigration and Emigration, says Spain is calling for a more "qualified immigrant worker." The potential for a downward economic trend could greatly impact Spain's future decisions in immigration policy as the new policies will have to reach a balance between maintaining the flow of immigrants and ensuring that future immigrants are employable. //INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACT// ¶7. (U) 4. (U) Immigration into Spain is beginning to have a measurable impact for the countries of origin as well. Spanish immigrants are now the second largest providers of MADRID 00001597 002.2 OF 002 remittances in the world after the US. Over the past three years, Spain has gone from being a net recipient to a net source of remittances. In 2006, immigrants in Spain remitted 6.8 billion euros, which represented 0.7 percent of Spain's GDP. Almost 70 percent of the money went to Latin America; 6 percent went to Morocco, and eastern European countries received almost 8 percent. In terms of the impact of remittances from Spain as a percentage of receiving countries' GDP, the numbers are: Bolivia (8.5 percent); Ecuador (3.6 percent); Senegal (1.9 percent); Dominican Republic (1.5 percent); Colombia (1.25 percent); Morocco (0.91 percent); Romania (0.5 percent); Peru (0.31 percent). COMMENT: The numbers for Africa and the Maghreb are still relatively low, but they will undoubtedly become more important. END COMMENT. //AFRICAN MIGRATION// ¶8. (U) While Moroccan immigrants represent the largest proportion of immigrants in Spain as of June 2007, immigration from Africa has decreased since 2006, due in part to the EU's financial contributions to increase security in the Mediterranean and along African shores, as well as Spain's initiative to repatriate African citizens, especially those migrating to the Canary Islands. Last summer, Spanish media led nearly every day with photos of West African immigrants arriving by boat to the Canary Islands. While the total number of immigrants arriving in the first seven months of 2006 (17,433) was relatively small, coverage of the "boat people" stole the focus from the larger numbers of immigrants coming by air and land from Latin America and eastern Europe. By July 2007, after a year of Spanish diplomatic and enforcement efforts, the numbers of boats arriving in Spain is significantly reduced, the press coverage is limited, and the number of immigrants much smaller (around 8,000). ¶9. (U) Recently the GOS has focused on cooperation with the Moroccan Government to ensure that fewer Moroccan emigrants perish in their attempts to enter Spain by boat. In conjunction with FRONTEX, the EU's border patrol agency, Spain and Morocco have stepped up maritime security patrols both in the Mediterranean and along the West African coast. As a result, attempts by Sub-Saharan Africans to migrate to both the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands has plummeted in 2007. //TOLERANT SPAIN?// ¶10. (U) Spain has done a great deal to help immigrants become legal. A 2005 Amnesty program, which afforded Spanish residency to approximately 700,000 illegal immigrants, sparked controversy among EU members as leaders believed the program to be a direct contradiction to the EU's restrictive policy on immigration. ¶11. (U) The government's acceptance or even encouragement of immigration is reflective of Spanish public opinion. According to recent polls, 62 percent of Spanish citizens polled said that immigration of Middle East and North African citizens is "a good thing." Seventy-two percent of citizens polled also took a favorable view of immigration from Eastern Europe. Of all Western European nations, Spain had the highest favorable opinion of immigration. ¶12. (SBU) COMMENT: Spain's future is in many ways dependent on immigration, especially given its negative birth rate. While the growing immigrant population has filled jobs and added billions of euros to Spain's GDP, it has also brought questions of identity and integration into play in Spain, a nation that just a dozen years ago was almost entirely comprised of Caucasian Roman Catholics. Like the rest of Europe, Spain will have to grapple with the question of what it means to be Spanish and how best to integrate its increasingly diverse population. The Zapatero government has taken a "we can all just get along" approach which has suited many Spaniards quite well as they have collectively ridden the rising economic tide to a prosperity that is rivaled only by Spain's 16th century heyday. However, the inevitability of a cooling in Spain's economy suggests that these issues may ripen and provoke broader social concerns and complicated life. END COMMENT. AGUIRRE