Moroccan community in Flanders and Belgium

1. DE MAROKKAANSE GEMEENSCHAP
IN VLAANDEREN/BELGIË
18 MAART 2017
ACV MidLim – VAMOS - ATTAWASUL
Prof dr Leo Neels
CEO Itinera
ALLOCHTONEN IN BELGIË/VLAANDEREN21/03/2017

2. Itinera:
independent think tank
• 2006 : private initiative
• by entrepreneurs, families and academics
• “Will Belgium be able to ensure our level of
prosperity to its children and grandchildren?”
• Independent expertise for better governance,
efficient decision making and delivery
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3. Itinera : Mission & Values
• “Facts & Figures”
– Expertise > Policy Recommendations
• The importance of Value Creation
– Dominant role of Enterpreneurs & Entreprises
• For an inclusive society
• Good Citizenship
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4. ITINERA & KBS
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5. Immigration in Belgium
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6. Immigration in Belgium
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7. Immigration by country of origin
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8. Historic Motive: Labour
• Conventions with other countries
• 1946: Italy, 1956: Spain, 1957: Greece
• 1964: Morocco, Turkey
• 1969: Algeria,Tunesia
• 1970: Yugoslavia
• 1974: STOP… ?
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9. Other motives
• Family unification / Regroupement familial
• Marriage
• Asylum seekers
• Refugees
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10. Motives (General Immigration)
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11. Motives (Immigration from Morocco)
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12. Moroccon Population in Belgium
(2009)
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13. Regional dispersion in Belgium
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14. Nationality
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15. Nationality & Country of Origin
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16. Belgian Policy on
Migration & Integration
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• 1974: “migration” STOP… unsuccesfull
• Migration “shift”:
• Family reunification,
• Naturalisation,
• Free movement of persons (EU)
• Labour (economic migration)
• Asylum & Refugees (distress)
• Natality
– BLG 1,67
– FOREIGN 2,52
– FOREIGN EXTRA-EU 4
– 17% of births by a foreign mother
– 90% of these children have BLG nationality

17. Nationality Laws
• 1985 > 2013: broad criteria
+ 800.000 Belgians by “naturalisation”
• 2013: more restrictive criteria
• Difficulty of uncomparable statistics
– Belgians
– Belgian with a migration history
– Belgians by generation …
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18. “Here to stay”
• Integration policy:
– no comprehensive plan
– A lot of initiatives & poor results
• 1980
– 1980 Vreemdelingenwet: who can stay in BLG?
– 1981 Law on racism & xenofobia: attitude
– 1984 Nationality Law: legal status
• 1988
– start of Royal Commissioner on Migration Policy
• Importance of Conviction of Community & Parents :
– “shared responsibility”
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19. Top Drivers of integration :
Education & Jobs
• Education
• PISA-statistiscs (OECD):
• important school drop-out of migrant children
• linguistic problem (Kindergarten not mandatory)
• Importance (Prof J. Dronkers)
– Country of Origin
– Education level of parents
– Homogeneity of school population
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20. Drivers of integration
• Jobs
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21. Jobs as driver of integration
• Importance of language
• Importance of education
• Importance of accessible labour market
– Rigid social law protects employed people
– & is unfavourable to access for new entrants
– “Flexjobs” as a solution ?
• Or as another expression of the problem
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22. From Integration to Good Citizenship
• From being a “native Belgian”
• To become a “Belgian Citizen”
• The value fabric of society
– Democracy – Rule of law – Universal human rights
– Equality & Freedom of religion
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23. Thank You !
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