02.08.2024 (Caucasian Journal). Caucasian Journal is honoured to present our guest, professor Dušan DRBOHLAV (Czechia). He works at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, and leads the Geographic Migration Centre (GEOMIGRACE) research team.▶ ქართულად: Read the Georgian version here.
Alexander KAFFKA, editor-in-chief of CJ: Today, we will address a crucial topic - migration. We are grateful to have Professor Dušan Drbohlav from the renowned Charles University in Prague as today's speaker for this opportunity. In our interviews with European experts, we are trying to look at Georgia's future, as it is strongly linked with the EU. Migration is an important factor in Georgia, so we want to understand how a country's migration situation may change while it is integrating with the EU. If a government understands the potential risks of migration, can it mitigate them through legal reforms or other steps?
Dušan DRBOHLAV: International population migration - in all its possible forms - was, is, and will be here. It is the result of many factors, the key one being the existing and often widening inequality between rich and poor. It is an inequality in the quality of life, particularly in terms of economic conditions, environmental qualities, political environment (in terms of the existence of freedoms and political stability), and demographic developments. While the negative parameters of these factors create a strong migratory push in the countries of the global South, the positive tuning of the factors in question creates a strong migratory "pull" in the rich and democratic countries of the North.
At the same time, globalization significantly links the two worlds, making migration a logical outcome of the macro differences. This is compounded by the historical aspects of, for example, the colonial movement and the already existing diaspora of migrants, who came from the South and now reside in the North. The migration gravity cannot be stopped by any migration policy or practice. It can at most be directed to some extent and only partially regulated.
Czechia is part of the European Union and must respect its migration policy. It has been trying for several decades to come up with a solution for the common regulation of international migration (and the refugee movement) and its latest and most ambitious common project is the Migration Pact. Despite being approved, only the future will show its effectiveness, especially in terms of reducing the migration risks that the Pact is targeting. On the other hand, it is also important to view the work with migration as an opportunity.
The migration gravity cannot be stopped by any migration policy or practice. It can at most be directed to some extent and only partially regulated.
The EU still leaves quite a lot of room for individual member states to organise international migration in their own way - especially in the area of labour migration and the choice of integration model. Czechia, like other post-communist EU countries, has a shorter experience with international migration, which is reflected in the generally more negative attitudes of Czechs towards foreigners, or especially towards newly arrived migrants who are culturally, linguistically, and religiously different. Reducing the risks of migration is a long-term process that requires, among other things, learning to perceive and understand cultural diversity (including school education). This goes hand in hand with the need for society to be objectively and systematically informed about the challenges (both positive and negative) that migration brings. In the short term, it is important to counter the risks of migration by successfully integrating migrants into the majority society.
Firstly, an effective recruitment point system (following Canada’s model, for example), can bring into the country those whom society and the economy need. Such a system is already being prepared in Czechia together with the OECD. Secondly, an integration model would help newly arrived foreigners to integrate quickly and successfully into Czech society. The so-called civic integration model is now emerging (as in many other EU countries). It ensures that migrants respect the law, values, and norms of the receiving country, learn Czech, actively participate in the labour market and become self-sufficient. Many other steps and measures (in particular, e.g. control of the EU's external borders) must be taken at EU level.
AK: We know about the “Polish plumber” phenomenon; how typical it was for Czechia and can it be expected in the new candidate countries as well?
DD: The image of the Polish plumber as an element of opposition to immigration due to social dumping, competing with local workers in France (and other "old EU countries") was created after 2004. At that time, a large group of post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe joined the EU. Workers of various professions from Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, and Czechia could be perceived similarly.
European integration, internationalization, and globalization support a natural differentiation in the EU labour market, with the understanding that working conditions and remuneration should be the same for migrants as for native workers.
The reality is often different, and migrants regularly fill the secondary labour market with conditions often incompatible with standards and regulations. Migrants are often left at the mercy of their 'mafia bosses' who, thanks to their cheap (and robbed) labour, offer lower prices than standard 'home firms' can bid for contracts. This “image of illegality" seems to be built into the genes of modern capitalism, which fights against a phenomenon that is in demand, and from which someone in the system benefits.
Czechia, while still sending labour migrants itself, is an important destination for other migrants, who in turn face exploitation and can also be accused of social dumping in Czechia itself - see for example the large group of Ukrainian labour migrants in many sectors of the economy before the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Yes, it is highly probable that the trend of social dumping described above will also be linked to migration from other newly acceded countries to the EU.
Because of the accelerating aging of the populations of the target countries, the demand for certain professions is increasing, which is also increasing the pressure on immigration. On the other hand, destination countries are unable and perhaps even unwilling (in cooperation with the migrants themselves) to make effective use of the human capital of migrants already present in the country or newly arrived, who often work outside their highly skilled and qualified backgrounds.
Although, according to comparative studies, the Czechs are one of anti-immigration nations, it turns out that in critical situations they are willing and able to help significantly.
AK: Are there any "Czech lessons" that might become a useful experience for other countries?
DD: The Czechia’s migration and integration policy (and practice) works, but suffers from some shortcomings. Some are common with other EU countries, others are rather specific. Some are easier to solve, others depend in many ways on decisions of the whole EU. Among the positive aspects, I will choose two that can be a good Czech lesson and inspiration for some other countries.
Although, according to comparative studies, the Czechs are one of anti-immigration nations, it turns out that in critical situations they are willing and able to help significantly. This has been confirmed, for example, in the migration/refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016, as well as in the current wave of Ukrainian refugees after the 2022 Russian aggression. During the influx of migrants and refugees, especially from Africa, in the middle of the second decade of this century, several thousand Czech volunteers worked and helped with humanitarian aid, especially along the so-called Balkan route. Similarly, in 2022 the entire Czech nation has come together to provide selfless humanitarian and integration assistance to the huge number of incoming Ukrainian war refugees.
The second significant positive feature of the Czech migration and integration policy, or rather the arena in which the policy is played out, is that the non-governmental sector operating in the field of migration and integration has become an important player and partner to state institutions, with whom legislative changes or other significant steps are being prepared. This is not the case in some other Central or Eastern European countries.
AK: How did the EU integration influence the Czech migration situation? What are the main general tendencies?
DD: I will answer this question with recommendations that are valid for improving migration and integration policy and practice in Czechia, but the suggestions are more general and could perhaps be applied to many other EU countries, including the EU institution itself:
- To have a vision!!!
- To develop clear, systematic, comprehensive, coherent, but also flexible, anticipatory, and far-sighted migration policies (and relevant sub-policies)
- To formulate a general strategy and to make specific decisions regarding economic, demographic, cultural, and social aspects
- To have migration practices in full agreement with legislation
- To design an active migration policy regarding economic immigration and integration of immigrants
- To initiate broad discussions on migration issues and to provide the public with objective information
- To improve cooperation among (and within) state bodies, NGOs, and international organizations responsible for migration
- To ensure, to some extent, decentralization of migratory responsibilities
- To work on better monitoring and more reliable and detailed international migration statistics
- To launch more integration programs and to pay more attention to intercultural learning and communication
- To continue to combat illegal migration and migrants´ irregular economic activities.
AK: Thank you very much!
Read the Georgian language version here.
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