By Major W. Cox
The idea of a European fortress has been around for a long time. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was one of the first modern European leaders to speak of a single Europe. His 1945 ". . .One Country; One Nation; One Parliament. . . " pronouncement was one of the early concepts for a united European state.
Today's European Economic Community consists of twelve member nation-states, politically referred to as the European Community or EC. Members are Germany, Britain, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. All members ratified the Single European Act. The 1985-87 legislation commits states to economic, monetary and political union. The final structure will be a unitary state called 'Europe' with a single common currency, the European Currency Unit (ECU), a common defense, and common citizenship.
The reality of the coming European unity is a source of anxiety among Europe's nonwhite population. In 1990, the EC population stood at 320,500,000. Estimates are that 8,000,000 (2.55%) are third country nationals residing legally in member states. However, growing European nationalism, racism and xenophobia is cause for concern among nonwhite people living in Europe.
Racist activity in Great Britain causes injury, death, and destruction of property in nonwhite communities. Addressing this issue on the floor of parliament, Winston Churchill, grandson of the grand old man with the same name, spoke of the "relentless flow" of immigrants coming into Britain. In Germany, police estimates put the number of hard-core neo-Nazis at 1,500 with 20,000 sympathizers. There were more than 6,000 neo-Nazi attacks on foreigners in 1992 and 1,339 during the first three months of 1993. In France, recent opinion polls suggest that 94% of the French feel that racism is widespread and 74% complain that there are "too many Arabs" there.
As EC member countries eliminate barriers that restrict travel of their citizens between member countries, the question of citizenship emerges. In a strict legal sense, there is no European citizenship yet. The EC passport is a member country's national passport with an EC cover. Yet, a sense of Europeanness ¼ a European identity¼ is developing along side old fashion patriotism. As Europeanness affects more and more nationals of EC member countries, a growing number of these European patriots want to keep out non-Europeans (read non-white people).
Member countries have conflicting immigration laws. Europe is not like the United States where our constitution empowered the federal (national) government with the authority to make all naturalization laws. Europe is not yet a national state, so the member states must negotiate a body of common naturalization laws. Two principals guide nations when making citizenship law; Ius soli (by birthplace) and Ius sanguinis (by blood). For example, in France, as in the United States, citizenship depends on the former. Everyone born in the country is a citizen of the country. Most children born in France to foreign parents become citizens. On the other hand, the latter principle instructs Germany's citizenship laws. In order to become a citizen, an individual must have a German relative. In Germany, few of the children born of foreign parents become citizens of the country. Recent changes in German immigration law have resulted in the deportation of thousands of third country nationals. Many of these people were born in Germany (in some cases, several generations in Germany) and have never lived in any other country.
For nonwhite people living in Europe, as well as those wanting to immigrate, the news is not good. A fact to which I can attest from personal experience. Several years ago, Margaret and I were traveling with friends in Southern Europe. We returned to Spain after having spent a few days in northern Africa. The Spanish customs officials operated two entry check points; one for people entering with EC passport and the other for non-EC nationals. Everyone in our party had an American passport, yet officials directing the flow of traffic off the ferry split our group. Officials directed those of us with white skin to the EC entry point and those of us with dark skin to the non-EC entry point, with a tremendously long line. After becoming aware of our American status, the official passed all in our party through the EC entry point, although the United States is not an EC country.
As this anecdote about returning to Spain confirms, EC immigration barriers are higher for some non-EC nationals than for others. Europeans run a real risk or racially isolating themselves from the rest of the world. A world that demographers predict will be 84% nonwhite in the year 2000.
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Originally Published: 11 November 1993, Montgomery Advertiser
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