Implications of France's Immigration Policy
FUJIMAKI Hideki / Professor, Hokkaido University of Education
March 27, 2015
"Apartheid in France" … This sensational headline was all over French newspapers in late January. In his New Year's speech to journalists, Prime Minister Valls said, in referring to the attack on the weekly newspaper in Paris, "A geographic, social, ethnic apartheid has developed in our country." What the Prime Minister had in mind was the areas in Paris suburbs crowded by low-rent housing, populated by many Muslim immigrants and deteriorating into slums.
There are two main currents in the immigration policy in Europe, namely multiculturalism and assimilation. Britain is a leading example of the former, but Prime Minister Cameron has stated unequivocally that state multiculturalism has failed in Britain. As different cultures have been encouraged to live separate lives, there has been little progress in the social integration of immigrants, giving rise instead to communities segregated from British society. Why is it, then, that segregated communities have emerged in France, which has pursued assimilation, the exact opposite of Britain's policy?
France has many immigrants from North Africa including Algeria, and its Muslim inhabitants account for 7.5% of the whole population. They came into France as workers during the high growth period of the post-WWII years. New inflow of immigrants was stopped after the oil crisis, but those who had come in stayed on, and were permitted on humanitarian grounds to bring their families to join them.
France is a nation built on the ideals of the Republic that recognizes the equality of individuals under the law irrespective of race, religion and other attributes. This applies to the question of social integration of immigrants as well. When an immigrant brings his family to join him, the family member is obliged to learn the French language and understand the values of the Republic. Its nationality law has been traditionally based on jus soli, i.e. the attribution of French nationality by birth, and immigrants' children born in France can easily obtain French nationality.
The phrase "clash of Western and Islamic civilizations" is bandied about, perhaps too often. In actual fact, it is often the case that the second-generation Muslim immigrants in France neither speak Arabic nor go to mosques. An increasing number of them marry French nationals, resulting in a much higher out-marriage rate (the ratio of immigrants who marry the members of their host ethnic group) than is the case with Turkish immigrants in Germany. Thus it is fair to say that the Muslim immigrants in France are being culturally integrated.
The biggest problem facing the Muslim immigrants is unemployment. The unemployment rate in France, where the economy is stagnating, is about 10%, and the problem of youth unemployment is acute, especially among the second and third generation immigrants. The French government has designated those high-priority areas for city policy, such as suburban areas heavily populated by immigrants, as the ZUS (Zones urbaines sensibles in French. Sensitive Urban Zones). The unemployment rate in these zones for those between 15 and 29 years of age is as high as 45%.
The high rate of unemployment for immigrant youths is attributable to their lack of education and professional qualifications. However, for those with equal educational credentials, the unemployment for immigrants is higher than the average for their French counterparts. There are a number of cases of discrimination in the job-hunting process, where their Islamic names, colours of skin, places of residence and other factors stand in the way of their advancing to the interview stage. For those French-born second and third generation immigrants, the problem is not cultural integration but the lack of economic and social integration.
As both multiculturalism and assimilation face an impasse, there is a move afoot in Europe to search for a new immigration policy. This is the Intercultural Cities project conceived by the Council of Europe. It is similar to multiculturalism in the sense of respecting diversity. But, instead of simply juxtaposing different cultures, it aims to achieve social integration by facilitating intercultural interaction and inclusion, thus inducing changes on the part of both the immigrants and the host society.
If we look across the world, not a few countries place the acceptance of immigrants as an important part of their national development strategy. Japan is about to go into a sharp demographic decline and a serious labour shortage looms ahead. It is highly likely that we will be forced by necessity at some point to consider seriously accepting immigrants from abroad.
The examples of "European failures" are often cited in Japan as a reason for opposing the acceptance of immigrants. However, it is better to see Europe as undergoing a process of trial and error in search of a better immigration policy. Now is the time for us to learn from the "European experiences".
Hideki Fujimaki is former Paris bureau chief of Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
There are two main currents in the immigration policy in Europe, namely multiculturalism and assimilation. Britain is a leading example of the former, but Prime Minister Cameron has stated unequivocally that state multiculturalism has failed in Britain. As different cultures have been encouraged to live separate lives, there has been little progress in the social integration of immigrants, giving rise instead to communities segregated from British society. Why is it, then, that segregated communities have emerged in France, which has pursued assimilation, the exact opposite of Britain's policy?
France has many immigrants from North Africa including Algeria, and its Muslim inhabitants account for 7.5% of the whole population. They came into France as workers during the high growth period of the post-WWII years. New inflow of immigrants was stopped after the oil crisis, but those who had come in stayed on, and were permitted on humanitarian grounds to bring their families to join them.
France is a nation built on the ideals of the Republic that recognizes the equality of individuals under the law irrespective of race, religion and other attributes. This applies to the question of social integration of immigrants as well. When an immigrant brings his family to join him, the family member is obliged to learn the French language and understand the values of the Republic. Its nationality law has been traditionally based on jus soli, i.e. the attribution of French nationality by birth, and immigrants' children born in France can easily obtain French nationality.
The phrase "clash of Western and Islamic civilizations" is bandied about, perhaps too often. In actual fact, it is often the case that the second-generation Muslim immigrants in France neither speak Arabic nor go to mosques. An increasing number of them marry French nationals, resulting in a much higher out-marriage rate (the ratio of immigrants who marry the members of their host ethnic group) than is the case with Turkish immigrants in Germany. Thus it is fair to say that the Muslim immigrants in France are being culturally integrated.
The biggest problem facing the Muslim immigrants is unemployment. The unemployment rate in France, where the economy is stagnating, is about 10%, and the problem of youth unemployment is acute, especially among the second and third generation immigrants. The French government has designated those high-priority areas for city policy, such as suburban areas heavily populated by immigrants, as the ZUS (Zones urbaines sensibles in French. Sensitive Urban Zones). The unemployment rate in these zones for those between 15 and 29 years of age is as high as 45%.
The high rate of unemployment for immigrant youths is attributable to their lack of education and professional qualifications. However, for those with equal educational credentials, the unemployment for immigrants is higher than the average for their French counterparts. There are a number of cases of discrimination in the job-hunting process, where their Islamic names, colours of skin, places of residence and other factors stand in the way of their advancing to the interview stage. For those French-born second and third generation immigrants, the problem is not cultural integration but the lack of economic and social integration.
As both multiculturalism and assimilation face an impasse, there is a move afoot in Europe to search for a new immigration policy. This is the Intercultural Cities project conceived by the Council of Europe. It is similar to multiculturalism in the sense of respecting diversity. But, instead of simply juxtaposing different cultures, it aims to achieve social integration by facilitating intercultural interaction and inclusion, thus inducing changes on the part of both the immigrants and the host society.
If we look across the world, not a few countries place the acceptance of immigrants as an important part of their national development strategy. Japan is about to go into a sharp demographic decline and a serious labour shortage looms ahead. It is highly likely that we will be forced by necessity at some point to consider seriously accepting immigrants from abroad.
The examples of "European failures" are often cited in Japan as a reason for opposing the acceptance of immigrants. However, it is better to see Europe as undergoing a process of trial and error in search of a better immigration policy. Now is the time for us to learn from the "European experiences".
Hideki Fujimaki is former Paris bureau chief of Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
仏に見る移民政策の課題
藤巻 秀樹 / 北海道教育大学教授
2015年 3月 27日
フランスのアパルトヘイト（人種隔離）」――。１月下旬、フランスの新聞各紙に刺激的な見出しが躍った。バルス首相が報道関係者への年頭挨拶でパリの週刊紙襲撃事件に触れ、「仏には地域的、社会的、民族的アパルトヘイトが存在する」と発言したのだ。首相の脳裏にあったのはパリ郊外の低家賃集合住宅が立ち並ぶ地域。イスラム系移民が数多く住んでおり、スラム化が進んでいる。
欧州の移民政策には大きく二つの流れがある。多文化主義政策と同化政策だ。英国は前者を採用する代表的な国だが、キャメロン首相は「英国での多文化主義は失敗した」と断言した。多様な文化を尊重した結果、移民の社会統合が進まず、英国社会から隔離されたコミュニティーが生まれてしまったという。英国とは真逆の同化主義的な政策をとるフランスでなぜ、隔離されたコミュニティーが出現したのだろうか。
フランスはアルジェリアなど北アフリカの出身の移民が多く、国内のイスラム教徒人口は全人口の７・５％にも及ぶ。彼らは戦後の高度成長期に労働者として流入した。石油危機後に新規の受け入れは停止されたが、移民は留まり、人道的見地から家族の呼び寄せが認められた。
フランスは民族、宗教などの属性にかかわらず法の下での個人の平等を認める共和国の理念によって形成された国である。それが移民の社会統合にも適用される。移民が家族を呼び寄せる際には、家族に仏語の習得や共和国的価値の理解を義務付けている。また出生地主義を採用しているため、国内で生まれた移民の子供は容易に仏国籍を取得できる。
よく「西欧とイスラムの文化の衝突」などという言葉が安易に使われるが、フランスのイスラム系移民２世の中にはアラビア語を話せず、モスクに行かない若者も珍しくない。 フランス人との結婚も増えており、ドイツのトルコ系移民などに比べ、外婚率（移民が受け入れ民族と結婚する比率）は非常に高い。フランスのイスラム系移民は文化的には統合されつつあるといえる。
イスラム系移民の最大の問題は失業である。経済が低迷する同国の失業率は約10％。特に若者の失業が多く、中でも深刻なのが移民の２世、３世だ。仏政府は郊外の移民居住区など都市政策を優先的に行う地域を「脆弱な都市区域」（ＺＵＳ）と指定しているが、この地域の15歳から29歳までの失業率は実に45％にも達する。
移民の若者の失業率の高さは学歴や職業資格が低いことも原因だが、同じ学歴でもフランス人の平均より失業率が高い。イスラム系の名前や肌の色、居住地などがネックになって面接に進めないなど就職差別を受ける例も少なくない。フランス生まれの移民２世、３世は文化ではなく、経済的、社会的に統合されていないことが問題なのである。
多文化主義、同化政策の両方が行き詰る中で、欧州では新たな移民政策を探る動きが始まっている。欧州評議会が推進する「インターカルチュラルシティ構想」だ。多様な文化を尊重する点では多文化主義に似ているが、多文化が並列に存在するのではなく、相互に影響を与え合い、移民と受け入れ社会の双方の変化により、社会統合を目指す考え方だ。
世界を見渡せば、労働力不足への対応策として移民受け入れを国家発展の重要戦略と位置付ける国も少なくない。急激な人口減少社会に突入する日本も深刻な人手不足が予想されており、いずれ本格的に移民受け入れを迫られる可能性は高い。
日本ではよく「欧州の失敗」を理由に移民反対論が喧伝される。だが、欧州は試行錯誤しながら、より良い移民政策への模索を続けていると見た方がいい。今こそ「欧州の経験」から学ぶべきだ。
（筆者は元日本経済新聞パリ支局長）
欧州の移民政策には大きく二つの流れがある。多文化主義政策と同化政策だ。英国は前者を採用する代表的な国だが、キャメロン首相は「英国での多文化主義は失敗した」と断言した。多様な文化を尊重した結果、移民の社会統合が進まず、英国社会から隔離されたコミュニティーが生まれてしまったという。英国とは真逆の同化主義的な政策をとるフランスでなぜ、隔離されたコミュニティーが出現したのだろうか。
フランスはアルジェリアなど北アフリカの出身の移民が多く、国内のイスラム教徒人口は全人口の７・５％にも及ぶ。彼らは戦後の高度成長期に労働者として流入した。石油危機後に新規の受け入れは停止されたが、移民は留まり、人道的見地から家族の呼び寄せが認められた。
フランスは民族、宗教などの属性にかかわらず法の下での個人の平等を認める共和国の理念によって形成された国である。それが移民の社会統合にも適用される。移民が家族を呼び寄せる際には、家族に仏語の習得や共和国的価値の理解を義務付けている。また出生地主義を採用しているため、国内で生まれた移民の子供は容易に仏国籍を取得できる。
よく「西欧とイスラムの文化の衝突」などという言葉が安易に使われるが、フランスのイスラム系移民２世の中にはアラビア語を話せず、モスクに行かない若者も珍しくない。 フランス人との結婚も増えており、ドイツのトルコ系移民などに比べ、外婚率（移民が受け入れ民族と結婚する比率）は非常に高い。フランスのイスラム系移民は文化的には統合されつつあるといえる。
イスラム系移民の最大の問題は失業である。経済が低迷する同国の失業率は約10％。特に若者の失業が多く、中でも深刻なのが移民の２世、３世だ。仏政府は郊外の移民居住区など都市政策を優先的に行う地域を「脆弱な都市区域」（ＺＵＳ）と指定しているが、この地域の15歳から29歳までの失業率は実に45％にも達する。
移民の若者の失業率の高さは学歴や職業資格が低いことも原因だが、同じ学歴でもフランス人の平均より失業率が高い。イスラム系の名前や肌の色、居住地などがネックになって面接に進めないなど就職差別を受ける例も少なくない。フランス生まれの移民２世、３世は文化ではなく、経済的、社会的に統合されていないことが問題なのである。
多文化主義、同化政策の両方が行き詰る中で、欧州では新たな移民政策を探る動きが始まっている。欧州評議会が推進する「インターカルチュラルシティ構想」だ。多様な文化を尊重する点では多文化主義に似ているが、多文化が並列に存在するのではなく、相互に影響を与え合い、移民と受け入れ社会の双方の変化により、社会統合を目指す考え方だ。
世界を見渡せば、労働力不足への対応策として移民受け入れを国家発展の重要戦略と位置付ける国も少なくない。急激な人口減少社会に突入する日本も深刻な人手不足が予想されており、いずれ本格的に移民受け入れを迫られる可能性は高い。
日本ではよく「欧州の失敗」を理由に移民反対論が喧伝される。だが、欧州は試行錯誤しながら、より良い移民政策への模索を続けていると見た方がいい。今こそ「欧州の経験」から学ぶべきだ。
（筆者は元日本経済新聞パリ支局長）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟