BARCELONA: Immigration Seminar: Labor shortage attracts foreign workers to Europe

From January 30 to February 2, a European seminar on immigration and work took place in Barcelona. It brought together experts from fifteen countries. It was organized by the Portuguese association Fidestra, with support from EZA, the European Commission and IPCM.

At the opening, Maria Reina Martin (Fidestra, Portugal), vice president of EZA and IPCM and coordinator of the seminar, linked immigration to the labor shortage and the aging of the European population. She pointed out that humanism must be more important than the simply economic vision.

Fernando Moura e Silva, president of the General Assembly of Fidestra, praised the work of IPCM; he remembered with emotion Mr. Chindasvinto Moreno, who died in 2022; and stressed that there have always been migrations in History. Dr. Alessandro Mini, vice-rector of International Relations of the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU, welcomed on behalf of the rector. He recalled that IPCM had already held a seminar in Barcelona in 2019, the result of which was a book of great interest.

For his part, Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga, president of IPCM/PICM, stressed the importance of uniting the reflection of social entities with the studies of the university world and with political leaders: “Immigration is a central point of the international debate.”

The seminar had an extensive program of activities. The sessions were held at the Abat Oliba CEU University and at the Spirituality Space of the Carmelite Missionaries.

Dr. Aquilino Cayuela, professor of Moral and Political Philosophy, gave the inaugural lecture, which was especially valued. With the title "Immigration, international politics and peacebuilding", he reviewed the intellectual debate based on several authors in recent decades. He defined multiculturalism as a political project. He warned of the problem of rejection - of some and others - that can lead to barbarism. He recommended having a strong identity to avoid uncertainties; and have moral values, laws and shared pacts or consensus. He advised having hope, focusing on people and promoting birth. Dr. Cayuela was presented by Adriano Santos, from Fidestra.

Maribel Alañón, technical director of the Reformismo 21 Foundation, and vice-treasurer of IPCM, highlighted the main points of Dr. Cayuela's conference. She explained that he recently traveled to the Dominican Republic and Colombia. She noted the concern about the entry of Haitians and Venezuelans. This confirms the extent of the phenomenon.

Gemma Aubarell, director of culture at the European Mediterranean Institute (IEMed), stated that immigration policy must be linked to culture, trade and development cooperation. He insisted on the existence of great demographic and economic differences on the two shores of the Mediterranean. Guilherme Teixeira and Cristina Barbosa (Fidestra) also participated.

Ana Miguel Pedro, Member of the European Parliament (CDS-PP, Portugal), proposed an integrated immigration strategy. “We want to avoid extremism and populism in the political debate.” She added that “fighting illegal immigration is not about closing the doors.”

Participating in the session on the role of workers' organizations were María Recuero (USO, Spain), Vaselin Mitov (Bulgaria, vice-president of EZA), Joseph Touvenel (CTCF, France, vice-president of EZA), Constantinos Elephtheriou (DEOK, Cyprus), Fátima Pinto (LOC, Portugal) and Paula Gil (CFTL, Portugal). They all stressed the importance of unions, social dialogue and respect for workers' rights.

The session on studies and research had a high academic level. With the presence of Vitor Vicente (Fidestra Junior) and Josep Calvó (Fidestra International), the following researchers from the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU participated: Carmen Parra, professor of International Law; Alessando Mini, professor of Anthropology and Ethics; Olga Lasaga, teacher of Career Guidance; Reinhard Schweitzer, expert in the sociology of migrations; and Sasha Molotkova, professor of Journalism. The latter exposed the situation of Ukrainian refugees due to Russian aggression.