European Official: Legal Immigration to the EU Must Increase

The European Commissioner for Internal Affairs stated on Monday, January 8, that legal immigration to the EU must increase by one million people annually to compensate for the loss caused by the aging workforce in the union. According to EU statistics, immigration to the EU last year reached approximately 3.5 million, with over 300,000 illegal entries. Ylva Johansson, the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs, said during a speech in Athens that the EU's workforce decreases by one million people each year. Therefore, she stated, 'legal immigration must grow by roughly one million per year.' Johansson also urged countries to prevent illegal immigration, which brings hundreds of thousands of migrants from Africa, the Middle East, and other regions, often through deadly routes to Europe. She said, 'We must avoid individuals who rely on traffickers, who often put their lives at risk with illegal entries. This must be prevented.' She added that there is a need for a 'global alliance' to combat trafficking networks. The number of illegal immigrants entering the EU has significantly decreased from a peak of over one million in 2014. Meanwhile, according to official data released on Monday, January 8, Germany saw an almost 50% increase in asylum applications last year, adding pressure on the government to fulfill its promises to reduce illegal immigration. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees announced that over 30,000 asylum applications were registered in Germany in 2022, a 51% increase from the previous year. Nancy Faeser, the Minister of the Interior, stated, 'The asylum figures for 2022 show that we must continue on our path to limit illegal immigration.' Earlier, the EU agreed in 2023 to new laws to evenly distribute the costs of hosting migrants and limit the number of individuals entering through trafficking networks. EU members reached an agreement on immigration policy. Turkey has intensified security measures at its border with Iran; 170 kilometers of the barrier wall have been completed. The proposed immigration bill by Macron's government was rejected; the Minister of the Interior stated that the goal of the bill is to organize the status of migrants.