VZCZCXRO3312
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHMD #1597/01 2291516
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171516Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3225
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 6041
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 1155
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 0136
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 2990
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0855
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0365

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 001597 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SMIG SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: IMMIGRATION UPDATE 2007 
 
REF: 2006 STATE 2391 
 
MADRID 00001597  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In 2006, Spain's population rose from 
43,758,300 to 45,166,894 according to the national census. Of 
the additional 1.35 million people, the majority were 
immigrants.  Over the last six years, the overall immigrant 
population in Spain has more than doubled to 4.5 million.  In 
the last few years, Spain has gone from being a net recipient 
of overseas-worker remittances to the world's second largest 
source of such funds.  But even as Spain has continued to 
receive large numbers of immigrants, it has sought to counter 
illegal immigration by implementing visa requirements and 
increasing its focus on North and West African countries, 
leading to a sharp decrease in African migration compared to 
a year ago.  Despite the large influx of immigrants, Spanish 
polls suggest that Spaniards have the most favorable view of 
immigration within the European Union, though that could 
change if Spain suffers an economic slowdown or the 
construction boom ends. END SUMMARY. 
 
//IMMIGRANT DEMOGRAPHICS// 
 
¶2. (U) According to the Spanish Census, in January 2007 Spain 
had almost 4.5 million immigrants (legal and illegal) of whom 
3.2 million were not EU citizens.  The illegal immigrant 
population in January 2007 was approximately 1 million.  Most 
of the immigrant population in Spain is made up of non 
European Union citizens. Mid-year 2007 figures show Moroccans 
representing the largest immigrant group in Spain with 
approximately 575,000 Moroccans living in Spain.  Other major 
non-EU immigrants sources are Ecuadorians (420,000), 
Colombians (260,000), Bolivians (200,000), and Argentines 
(140,000), followed by China and Peru.  Among fellow EU 
members, the largest immigrant sources are Romania (525,000), 
United Kingdom (315,000), Germany (165,000), and Italy 
(115,000), followed by Bulgaria and France. 
 
//DOMESTIC ECONOMIC IMPACT// 
 
¶3. (U) The industry that employs the most immigrants is 
construction.  Most of these jobs are offered on a temporary, 
contract basis and are therefore very accessible to immigrant 
workers.  Agricultural businesses also frequently employ 
immigrants, while others find private employment in child 
care and housekeeping.  As a result of the increased 
employment of immigrants in domestic settings, Spanish women 
are entering the work force more rapidly. 
 
¶4. (U) Immigration has had a positive impact on Spain's 
economy.  In late 2006 the GOS reported that immigration had 
sparked a 30 percent growth in Spain's economy over the last 
10 years and a 50 percent growth over the last five years. 
Immigrants have also helped to boost employment figures by 
filling 50 percent more jobs since 2001.  Of the 687,500 new 
jobs that were created in 2006, two thirds of those jobs were 
filled by immigrants. 
 
5.(U) Although immigration has been beneficial to Spain's 
economy on a short-term scale, economists fear that in the 
long-run, it will only hinder Spain's economy as some 
legalized immigrants have placed a strain on the Social 
Security system. As of June 2007, there were 2,034,750 
immigrants included in Social Security.  According to a study 
performed by the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the average 
immigrant contributes 1,468 euros in taxes, social security, 
and VAT to the State , while the average public investment 
per immigrant exceeds 2,097 euros for education, social 
services and health. 
 
¶6. (U) At the beginning of 2007, there were 372,000 
unemployed immigrants.  As a response to this negative trend, 
Consuelo Rumi, Spanish Secretary of State of Immigration and 
Emigration, says Spain is calling for a more "qualified 
immigrant worker."  The potential for a downward economic 
trend could greatly impact Spain's future decisions in 
immigration policy as the new policies will have to reach a 
balance between maintaining the flow of immigrants and 
ensuring that future immigrants are employable. 
 
//INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC IMPACT// 
 
¶7. (U) 4. (U) Immigration into Spain is beginning to have a 
measurable impact for the countries of origin as well. 
Spanish immigrants are now the second largest providers of 
 
MADRID 00001597  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
remittances in the world after the US.  Over the past three 
years, Spain has gone from being a net recipient to a net 
source of remittances.  In 2006, immigrants in Spain remitted 
6.8 billion euros, which represented 0.7 percent of Spain's 
GDP.  Almost 70 percent of the money went to Latin America; 6 
percent went to Morocco, and eastern European countries 
received almost 8 percent.  In terms of the impact of 
remittances from Spain as a percentage of receiving 
countries' GDP, the numbers are: Bolivia (8.5 percent); 
Ecuador (3.6 percent); Senegal (1.9 percent); Dominican 
Republic (1.5 percent); Colombia (1.25 percent); Morocco 
(0.91 percent); Romania (0.5 percent); Peru (0.31 percent). 
COMMENT: The numbers for Africa and the Maghreb are still 
relatively low, but they will undoubtedly become more 
important. END COMMENT. 
 
//AFRICAN MIGRATION// 
 
¶8. (U) While Moroccan immigrants represent the largest 
proportion of immigrants in Spain as of June 2007, 
immigration from Africa has decreased since 2006, due in part 
to the EU's financial contributions to increase security in 
the Mediterranean and along African shores, as well as 
Spain's initiative to repatriate African citizens, especially 
those migrating to the Canary Islands.  Last summer, Spanish 
media led nearly every day with photos of West African 
immigrants arriving by boat to the Canary Islands.  While the 
total number of immigrants arriving in the first seven months 
of 2006 (17,433) was relatively small, coverage of the "boat 
people" stole the focus from the larger numbers of immigrants 
coming by air and land from Latin America and eastern Europe. 
 By July 2007, after a year of Spanish diplomatic and 
enforcement efforts, the numbers of boats arriving in Spain 
is significantly reduced, the press coverage is limited, and 
the number of immigrants much smaller (around 8,000). 
 
¶9. (U) Recently the GOS has focused on cooperation with the 
Moroccan Government to ensure that fewer Moroccan emigrants 
perish in their attempts to enter Spain by boat.  In 
conjunction with FRONTEX, the EU's border patrol agency, 
Spain and Morocco have stepped up maritime security patrols 
both in the Mediterranean and along the West African coast. 
As a result, attempts by Sub-Saharan Africans to migrate to 
both the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands has 
plummeted in 2007. 
 
//TOLERANT SPAIN?// 
 
¶10. (U) Spain has done a great deal to help immigrants become 
legal. A 2005 Amnesty program, which afforded Spanish 
residency to approximately 700,000 illegal immigrants, 
sparked controversy among EU members as leaders believed the 
program to be a direct contradiction to the EU's restrictive 
policy on immigration. 
 
¶11. (U) The government's acceptance or even encouragement of 
immigration is reflective of Spanish public opinion. 
According to recent polls, 62 percent of Spanish citizens 
polled said that immigration of Middle East and North African 
citizens is "a good thing."  Seventy-two percent of citizens 
polled also took a favorable view of immigration from Eastern 
Europe.  Of all Western European nations, Spain had the 
highest favorable opinion of immigration. 
 
¶12. (SBU) COMMENT:  Spain's future is in many ways dependent 
on immigration, especially given its negative birth rate. 
While the growing immigrant population has filled jobs and 
added billions of euros to Spain's GDP,  it has also brought 
questions of identity and integration into play in Spain, a 
nation that just a dozen years ago was almost entirely 
comprised of Caucasian Roman Catholics.  Like the rest of 
Europe, Spain will have to grapple with the question of what 
it means to be Spanish and how best to integrate its 
increasingly diverse population. The Zapatero government has 
taken a "we can all just get along" approach which has suited 
many Spaniards quite well as they have collectively ridden 
the rising economic tide to a prosperity that is rivaled only 
by Spain's 16th century heyday.  However, the inevitability 
of a cooling in Spain's economy suggests that these issues 
may ripen and provoke broader social concerns and complicated 
life. END COMMENT. 
AGUIRRE