Multiculturalism or Assimilation? Refugees and Immigrants as Europeans

Abstract

Recent years have been characterized by the emergence of a large migration  flow in the European Union (EU), which is mainly due to the emergence of an armed  civil conflict in Syria, the expansion of the self-proclaimed Islamic State and the spread  of conflicts in Syria. For this reason, thousands of immigrants want to reach Europe via  the Mediterranean Sea or the Balkans. In fact, migratory movements have existed since very old times and are proceeding with the process of human evolution. Migratory  movements are most often caused by economic, social, cultural, political or  environmental issues. This new wave of refugees has posed a number of political,  economic, social and cultural challenges in European countries. Therefore, the EU has  been seeking a common position to maximize the effectiveness of the refugee reception  policy. This has not been possible due to the position of some states who reject the  distribution program of refugees over the European continent. In this context, the  Convention on the status of crises (Geneva Convention of 1951) is very important, as it provides a legal framework for the regulation of refugees’ concepts and issues. The aim  of this work is to discuss the legal regulations for refugees and immigrant’s political  situation, as well as their integration and assimilation process in different countries. This  article analyses the European case, with a special emphasis on the specific situation of  Portugal and Poland, concerning the issue of refugees and how integration processes  work. This choice was made due to the fact that there is no common policy for the  integration of refugees in Europe, and as long as the measures of each country are in compliance with international law, different policies can be adopted.