The other Europe

Europe is home to five million illegal immigrants. 500,000 more arrive each year. This programme looks at the living conditions of these men, women and children who live without papers, insurance and other things that we take for granted. Difficult questions are raised because Europe’s agriculture, catering and health service sectors would simply not be able to function without them. The film includes footage from the UK, Germany, Spain and China plus a well-made reconstruction of the Morecambe Bay cockle-picking tragedy.

The countries of the European Union depend on illegal migrant workers to perform the unskilled jobs that its native residents no longer wish to perform. Sectors such as agriculture, the health service and catering are particularly dependent. And there is no shortage of supply to satisfy this demand for labour. People from poorer countries are keen to fill these roles. Immigrants send more money home to the third world than all of the aid donated by the rich countries put together.

Yet this mutually beneficial labour arrangement flies is contrary to the laws of the countries involved. Large sums of money are spent in the EU on securing borders and tracking down and ejecting illegal immigrants.

This programme debates this complicated issue in detail. It looks at the lives of workers in Spain, Germany and, through the medium of a high-quality reconstruction of the Morecambe Bay tragedy, the United Kingdom. Expert contributions come from Professor Stephen Castles of Oxford University, Vice-President of the European Union Franco Frattini and Labour MP Geraldine Smith.