On the evening of 26th March 2025, the Espai Assemblea of CCOO in Barcelona hosted the presentation of the study Immigration and the Welfare State in Europe, an empirical investigation into citizens’ preferences regarding the social rights of migrants in Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. Organised by the Fundació Catalunya Europa, in collaboration with CCOO and the Fundació Cipriano Garcia, the event highlighted striking findings: while migrants’ fiscal contributions generate positive responses, structural mechanisms continue to perpetuate economic inequalities.
Moderated by Marc Andreu, the roundtable featured the study’s authors, Francesc Amat and César Fuster, alongside Eva Anduiza and Liliana Reyes, who contributed academic and labour union perspectives. The authors emphasised that migrants’ fiscal contributions play a key role in shaping residents’ attitudes towards granting social rights, often outweighing other cultural or social integration factors. However, they also pointed out that many migrants are penalised for factors beyond their control, such as low wages or structural barriers, which can reinforce inequalities.
A central topic of debate was public perception of migrants as a fiscal burden. More than half of respondents in the three studied countries believe that migrants receive more than they contribute, despite data showing that their long-term fiscal contribution is generally positive. Cases like Denmark, where migrants initially contribute less but become net contributors over time, illustrate this trend.
