By: SABA D’ELIA
The first landings of the ship loads of Albanians on Italian shores in 1992 represented a complete about-turn in how the phenomenon of emigration was conceived in Italy. The footage broadcast live by all the leading television channels transformed the perception Italians had of the phenomenon of immigration: Italy had been transformed once and for all into a country of immigration and no longer of emigration. In everyday conversation Albanians replaced citizens who came from the Maghreb zone, and the prototype of the clandestine immigrant who reaches Italy’s shores in make shift boats, more often than not the victims of unscrupulous traffickers, was stamped permanently on the collective perception. At this moment in time it began to be felt that the arrival of citizens of foreign countries was going to be an inevitable and long term process, which would have history to reckon with and a socio-economic system now globalized.
The arrival of the Albanians in Italy constitutes, to a certain degree, the paradigm of contemporary migrations.
At the beginning of the nineties, the presence of the Albanians in Italy was perceived more as a restriction rather than a resource, also in the light of the events involving this community. However, the scenes of those dramatic landings back in the nineties are now fading, growing distant and that entire saga now has the feel of events gone by. Although it is the second biggest community, after the Rumanian community, and subsequently the biggest extra-EU community in Italy (according to latest Caritas data, the Albanian community living in Italy has 440 thousand members), time has permitted the integration of this community into the Italian economic and social system, distancing it from its initial emergency dimension: The Albanian community is the first foreign student community in Italy with about 20.000 students attending Italian Universities and 84.000 school pupils and moreover, 20.000 registered businesses are managed by Albanians. Since those first landings at the beginning of the nineties the Albanian migration has undergone radical transformations. In fact, the Albanian migration has now assumed a new form which is increasingly being characterized as “a circle.” In fact, in the course of these two decades an interlacing of virtual mechanisms has taken place which in facilitating the flow of information and reciprocal knowledge has strengthened the links between the two communities.
Precisely, the phenomenon of voluntary return is one of the principle subjects up for discussion on 5-6 May, during a thought-provoking debate on the subject of migration, to be held in Albania, entitled, “Italy and Albania 2010: Immigration via Integration, Return and Development,” realized in cooperation with the ACLI – Ipsia, Caritas Italy and the Italian Embassy in Tirana, within the season of “Italy and Albania 2010 – two Peoples, one Sea, one Friendship,” events organized by the same embassy. The Albanian migration phenomenon presents particular features due to the political, historical and cultural similarity to Italy, and this discussion, with the participation of the President of the Chamber of Italian Deputies, Gianfranco Fini and the Speaker of the Albanian Assembly Mrs. Jozefina Topalli, hosted by the journalist Bruno Vespa, will constitute an opportunity to propose reflection on the on-going relations and cultural, economic and human exchanges, produced by the experiences of migration between the two countries.
Migration must indispensably be conceived as a process. Attention must focused on the countries of departure, but also on those of arrival, on the situation of those depart and those who return, but also on the people who welcome the arrivals.
It is on this basis that the debate, “Italy and Albania 2010: Immigration via Integration, Return and Development,” will be conducted. In the course of this discussion, an overview will be presented of the migration and integration of emigrants into the Italian social structures, and comparisons will be drawn between different models of integration, the promotion policies of regular emigration implemented by Italy and Albania will be analyzed as well as protective policies for the emigrant as an individual and citizen. To encourage integration means evaluating migrant capital, comprehended chiefly in terms of improving professional skills and relations networks, recognizing the emigrant as a resource both for the community of origin, and for the community of arrival.
The more an individual is integrated and the more he/she participates in the life of the community they join, the more capable they are of building up activity that exerts a positive influence on the country of origin. From this angle, voluntary return could be read as a possible phase of a successful cyclical course and as a sought-after propellant. This is why it is important to pinpoint concrete activity to support the cyclical course of the road of migration and to evaluate the experiences and skills gained in Italy and Albania. ACLI-Ipsia and Caritas Italy have for years been involved in this direction through different initiatives such as the projective of cooperation named, “Migrant Resource” which they have promoted with the finance of the Italian Foreign Ministry.
“Italy and Albania 2010: Immigration via Integration, Return and Development,” will endeavour to analyze new developments of migration in Albania, striving to use the necessary multi-disciplinary point of view, to handle a phenomenon of such a scale of importance.
* Ambassador of the Republic of Italy in Tirana
