One of the main topics of this year's European Parliament elections will certainly be the issue of migration. The fact that immigrants cannot be automatically lumped together is demonstrated by a study entitled MIGRATION AND THE SOCIAL NETWORK, which examines the economic impact of this phenomenon on public budgets in the Netherlands.
A team of experts led by Jan van de Beek, who holds a PhD in the economics of migration, analysed statistical data over 25 years, more precisely from 1995 to 2019. The study shows that public spending related to migration averaged €17 billion per year, or €400 billion over 25 years, which is roughly 10 trillion kronor (the Netherlands' GDP in 2021 will exceed $1,000 billion for the first time). The last time the country examined the problem was twenty years ago, because in 2003 such calculations were labelled racist.
The study argues that the welfare state attracts migrants with no or minimal education like a magnet, mostly staying in the Netherlands and living on welfare. In contrast, those who have received an education and then succeeded in various fields often leave the country, mainly for the US. "Unless migration policy is changed, the welfare state will gradually erode under rising costs, which means that fewer resources will be left for health, education or fighting crime," the study says, adding that integration often fails even for second- or third-generation immigrants. Jan van de Beek said in a TV interview that migrants should be separated according to their motivation - whether they came to the Netherlands to work, study or just for asylum.
"The strange thing is that even some people who have come to work sooner or later start taking some public support. But the worst form is migration with the aim of getting asylum. People from Africa motivated in this way receive an average of 600,000 euros (about 15 million crowns) of state support in their lifetime. By contrast, people coming from Australia, or Scandinavian countries, or from the US or Japan, will bring an average of €600,000 to the Dutch public purse over the same period," said the project leader.
István Léko, LN, 4.1.2024
P.S..
By the way, it would certainly be interesting to conduct a similar survey in the Czech Republic on the topic "How many people live on social benefits, even though they are healthy and could work?" They could take a cue from the Ukrainians! JŠ
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