Malta in the Outcomes of Post-War Emigration - Essay Example

Geography Research Essay "To what extent has Malta both benefited and suffered from the outcomes of post-war emigration and return migration" By "Customers Name" "Name of Institution" Date Insert Your Details Here INTRODUCTION Malta has been a country of emigration for many decades and, only since 2002, after the increasing inflow of immigrants, it has begun to realise its switch into a country of immigration. The political approach to immigration is generally quite protectionist and mostly based on the very same observation that led so many Maltese to emigrate in the past, that is the fact that Malta is a small densely populated country with limited resources and, therefore, no space for newcomers. So far, within the country, the issue of immigration has been seen as a question of border control, both when discussing about it in relation to the issue of accession to the EU and when discussing about the illegal immigration phenomenon. This discussion provides an overview of the key events that have marked the history of migration in Malta focusing on the post-war era and indicates the main topics prevailing in the current public debate on the subject. It indicates the general views that Malta is a transit country and the vast majority of migrants hope to reach other European countries rather than settle in the Islands. It also includes relevant statistical information on migration and the foreign population in the Maltese Islands. In the conclusion, it indicates possible future research development and alerts against the possible risks of limiting research to the topical issues of illegal immigration and border control for both economically and socially acceptable solutions. KEY ELEMENTS IN MALTESE MIGRATION HISTORY With an area of just over 300 square kilometers and a total population of 399,867 (Department of Information of the Maltese government, 2003), the Maltese Islands have been for several decades one of the most densely populated countries in the world, thus facing the problem of how to strike a balance between population growth and the limited economic resources of the country. During particular historical phases, the combination of overpopulation and unemployment resulted in the emigration of thousands of Maltese abroad. Since the 1980s, however, such emigration has slowed down and, over the past recent years, the flows have reverted with immigration being on the increase. Large scale emigration has been a feature of Maltese life since the early years of the nineteenth century when, under British colonial rule, early efforts to encourage and assist Maltese to migrate began. The outflow started to develop on a more permanent basis during the two World Wars when the government established the Department of Emigration to manage the emigration flow (NSO 2003a). After the Second World War, Maltese emigration reached its peak. Government's efforts to facilitate it were intensified and turned migration into one of the main political answers to the country post-war economic hardship. In fact, in the aftermath of the war the economic conditions of the country had begun to take a down-turn and, consequently, many Maltese lost their jobs (i.e. the dockyard, which used to employ about 11,000 people, began gradually to wind down). Furthermore, a baby boom in the immediate post-war period, led to a net population growth of about 8000 people/year thus leading to a density of 1,158 people per km and a total population of nearly 350,000. As a consequence, in the late '40s and '50s, many Maltese began to leave the country and migrate abroad opening a new phase of massive and rapid migration. "Intensive propaganda was carried out to the squares of every town and village so much so that many had the impression that to solve their problems all they had to do was to pack their belongings and leave." (Attard 1997; p.2). As a matter of fact, from 1945 to 1979 around 140,000 men, women and children left the Maltese Islands with Australia, the UK, Canada, and the US being the main destinations. The following table gives comparative figures for the various countries. It is seen that return migration from the US was one of the lowest of all major host countries, being only 22.24 percent of all migrants. Summary of Migration changes 1946 - 1996 Country To From Net Migration Return % Australia 86787 17847 68940 21.56 Canada 19792 4798 14997 24.24 UK 31489 12659 18830 40.20 US 11601 2580 9021 22.24 Other 1647 907 740 55.07 Total 155060 39087 115973 25.21 The number of migrants leaving for the US after the Second World War between 1946 and 1996 was 11,601. This makes the US the country with the smallest number of Maltese migrants. THE RETURN OF MIGRANTS During the 1970s, outflow migration started to decrease and the country began to witness the first influx of returnees. Return had always been part of the general migration program and, overall, one in four migrants came back for a total of 39,000 returnees between 1946 and 1996, with a peak in 1957 (when 1671 migrants returned), and one in 1975 (when the number of returnees suddenly rose to 2957). According to Cauchi (1999) the factors which determine which migrants decided to return to Malta have never been studied in any depth. However, the 1995 Census provides some useful data and indicates two important factors that caused return migration over the twenty-five year period prior to Census day: firstly, many people who had left the country in the period between the second world war and the early seventies, returned to Malta either to retire or re-settle with their relatively young families; secondly, return was not seen as a risk for their future socio-economic prospects any longer in consideration of the views that the economic conditions in Malta had improved considerably. This figure provides an overview of return migration flows in the post war period between 1945 and 1995. (Source: Cauchi, 1999). MAJOR IMMIGRATION ISSUES Two main issues have dominated the public debate in relation to migration in Malta over the past five years: the accession to the EU and illegal immigration. In both cases, the starting point for the debate was, once again, the consideration that Malta is a small and highly densely populated country with "limited space" to accept newcomers. At the end of 2003, with a population of 399,867 people and a population density of 1265 persons per km, Malta was still the most densely populated country in Europe and the third highest in the world. Malta's concerns for the potential influx of other EU citizens coming to work in the country after accession and competing with nationals in the job market were a central issue of interest to the general public, the media, politicians and trade unions. In conclusion the main focus of the debate on immigration in Malta is the phenomenon of illegal immigration. The worries of more immigrants landing on the Maltese shores and the questions related to the best solution to this problem dominate both the media and the political debate. However, as Camilleri (2004) explains, the worries over illegal immigration and the general protectionist approach to immigration in Malta are confronted every day by a different reality whereby a number of migrants, including those who are illegally staying in the islands, are actually employed in various sectors, especially the construction and the catering industries. CONCLUSION In conclusion, illegal immigration is the most relevant migration issue discussed in the country. The highest circulation newspapers, The Times of Malta (TOM), The Sunday Times of Malta (STOM), The Malta Independent (daily) (TMI), The Malta Independent on Sunday (TMIS) and Malta Today (a Sunday newspaper) as well as the rest of the national media keep reporting news of immigrants landing illegally in the country. The main stories usually cover: vessels overcrowded with immigrants stuck outside the Maltese coast (between Malta and Sicily, or between Malta and Tunisia), and accidents with immigrants dying at sea. In 2004 special attention was given to Malta-Italy relations on the issue of illegal immigration and border control, and to the efforts to find a solution on people trafficking in collaboration with the Libyan government. In May 2004, an Amnesty International Report (AI 2004a) claimed that the majority of around 220 Eritrean illegal immigrants, who had been forcibly repatriated by Malta in 2002, had been imprisoned and tortured upon arrival in Eritrea, with many still being held captive. The story was taken up by the Maltese press and was on the media from around mid-May right up to European Parliament (EP) election week (Pace 2004). REFERENCES Amnesty International (AI) 2004a: Open Letter to the Maltese Minister for Justice and Home Affairs. AI Index: EUR 33/002/2004, 7 June 2004. Attard, Fr Lawrence E. 1997: The Safety Valve - A History of Maltese Emigration from 1946. Sam Gwann: Publishers Enterprises Group 1997. Cauchi, Maurice N. 1999: The Maltese Migrant Experience. Ghajnsielem, Gozo : Gozo Press, 1999. Camilleri, K. 2004: European Union and Member State Migration and Asylum Law and Policy - Malta. International Federation for European Law (FIDE) XXI Congress, Dublin 2 - 5 June 2004. Department of Information-Malta 2003: Maltese Embassy, May 2006. National Statistics Office (NSO) Malta 2003a: Migration Results from the 1995 Malta Population and Housing Census: Comparison with other Data Sources Regarding Coverage and Reliability. Working Paper No. 8, 23 April 2003. Pace, R. 2004: European Parliament Election Briefing n. 5 - The European Parliament Election in Malta, 12 June 2004. Sussex European Institute, European Parties Elections & Referendums Network. http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sei/1-4-2-2.html. Read More