Migraciones internacionales y formación de las nuevas minorías étnicas

The EU Mediterranean Countries (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain) have been studying for years the social and economic implications caused by their new migratory conditions which – over a few decades – changed them from emigration into immigration countries. Generally, though, most studies carried out so far – and we are mainly referring to Italy and Spain, where the phenomenon is more evident – neglected the long-term analysis and, consequently, the problems that the creation of new ethnic minorities will engender in the future. As a matter of fact, these minorities, adding up to the already existing ones, will cause further, particolar problems depending on both their territorial allocation – which is likely to be uneven – and on their overall social and economic characteristics, meant not only in terms of income differentials and of cultural and religious heterogeneity, but also in terms of demographic behaviour.