The time has come for it to be recognised that Luxembourg is a country with high immigration, according to a statement released Friday by the Association de Soutien aux Travailleurs (ASTI).
The organisation highlighted the fact that the Grand Duchy recorded 18,322 new legal residents in 2015, of which 11,306 were from an EU Member State and 5,016 were third country nationals from the US, China and India, and pointed to this figure as much greater than that of the 2,447 people who filed for international protection in the same year.
The association claimed that Luxembourg'ss economic health and capacity for reception is what attracted these numbers to the country, but stated that the Grand Duchy needed to go beyond mere reception and instead establish a policy of integration which would ensure social cohesion.
ASTI pointed to integration's definition as "a two-way prcoess whereby a foreigner shows a willingness to participate in a sustainable manner in the life of the host society which, in social, economic, political and cultural terms, takes all measures to encourage and facilitate this process".
According to ASTI, all Luxembourgish and foreign residents are involved in the evolution of the country's population, which can be a source of both opportunities and challenges which the association stated must be faced with a global and citizen response.
ASTI similarly stated that decision-making should anticipate the construction of housing and the provision of educational measures and that integration should not be left as a concern merely for OLAI and the Ministry of Family, instead advocating a multi-tiered approach that flies in the face of the return to nationalism.
"ASTI for its part will continue to commit to a new society, rich in diversity by advancing concrete proposals, political demands, analysis, so that we can all live, work and (hopefully one day) decide together!" the statement concluded.
Photo by ASTI
