The survey asked respondents to evaluate three potential EU initiatives to deal with the issues of workers mobility within the Union and immigration from extra-EU countries. The overall share of respondents who are in favour of the introduction of common EU social insurance schemes for intra-EU migrant workers is 67.7%. The degree of agreement with these policies is higher in southern EU Member States, such as Spain (88.8%) and Italy (78.0%), than in northern countries, such as France (49.3%), Germany (60.8%) and Sweden (59.0%).

Overall, 71.2% of respondents are also in favour of the introduction of a common EU fund compensating national governments and local communities for the costs related to immigration of citizens from other EU Member States. Again, the degree of agreement with such an initiative is particularly high in Italy (85.4%) and Spain (84.3%), two countries from which a high number of citizens, especially among younger generations, have decided to emigrate to go work in other EU Member States.

Significant country differences emerge also in relation to the issue of extra-EU immigration. Overall, 65.7% of respondents think that decisions on EU external borders control and the status of extra-EU immigrants and refugees should be taken in Brussels. In Italy—which is, together with Greece, one of the first landing place for immigrants from Africa and the Middle East—79.0% of respondents agree with the notion of entrusting the EU with the management of this problem. By contrast, only 55% of Poles respondents and 58% of Swedes agree with this idea.

Photo Credits CC Squat Le Monde