European Cooperation on Immigration: The Case of Spain and the Latin American Community

This study analyzes European cooperation on immigration and the effects that the current economic crisis might have on immigrants of Latin American origin. Since the nineties, the migratory flow towards the European Union (EU) grew to such a point that there was a community-wide response to regulate the phenomenon. On average, immigrants make up 8.7% of the total population in Europe, with varying social, economic, and political impacts among the different member countries. Latin American immigrants have been affected by national and community-wide responses, especially in countries where they are more numerous, such as Spain, the case study for this investigation. In the current economic crisis, legal immigrants have become the most vulnerable group to the economic effects, such as unemployment. In this context, we expect cooperation to enter a new stage, centered more on policies of inclusion rather than border control.