Immigration Can Europe Survive?

[Pachipro]

A recent article on the declining birth rate in Japan below the level of population replacement led me to an article entitled Empty Future that not only is Japan suffering from this, but quite a few countries in Europe as well like Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, The Chech Republic, etc. I was quite surprised at this.

Western Europe is going through a similar birth dearth, one that also threatens its identity. Several countries, including Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, have even lower birthrates than Japan and the European Union?fs birthrate as a whole is only slightly higher than Japan?fs....This leaves European countries with little choice but to increase immigration to support their social welfare programs.......Americas birth rate is just at replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, but this is largely an artifact of high immigration rates.....seven percent of all births in America are to women born in Mexico."

My question is, if this trend continues, will most countries lose their sense of national identity? I mean if immigration is allowed to increase (which it will) will those immigrants born there be true Spainards, Italians, Czechs, in the truest sense? Or is this an unreversable trend that is unstoppable and will soon make a true full-blooded Italian, for example, a minority in his/her own country? Does it threaten the very existance of countries like Japan and those in Europe?

I think it is unstoppable unless the birth rates rise, which I don't see happening.

What do you think? Do you think your country will lose it's "national identity?"

 

[Mars Man]

Very interesting. . . There's a good book looking into this, The Empty Cradle. I wouldn't tend to think there would be any drastic, markable-as-having-occured-at-x-point-in-time changes, just as US history does not provide, but there could well be drifts in the 'signature'--only I can't say that much, not having lived there.

As for Japan, it is such a populated little group of islands that I don't forsee any really noticible changes coming soon. My great grand children may start to see some changes in the Japanese 'signature'.

 

[bossel]

National identities in most of Europe are quite artificial, anyway.

 

[nurizeko]

Not really, it will fall for so long beforeits absolutely in the best interest of the country to improve the birth-rate, be that banning contraceptives, or giving lots of benefits to motherhood.

It might also help if western european women and men were taught to be a little less self-interest and selfish, "oh i cant be a mother/father , its too much hassle *groan*"