Update of the Commission’s 2020 study projecting the net fiscal impact of immigration in the EU
21.5.2025
Question for written answer E-002052/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Marieke Ehlers (PfE), Sebastiaan Stöteler (PfE), Ton Diepeveen (PfE), Rachel Blom (PfE), Auke Zijlstra (PfE), Sebastian Kruis (PfE)
In November 2020, the Commission published a comprehensive study on the net fiscal impact of immigration in the EU[1]. This study shows that non-EU immigration has a negative net benefit in almost all countries, even under the assumption of ‘perfect integration’.
The data is consistent with 2023[2] and 2024[3] studies, which show that immigrants migrating for other purposes than work, such as study, family reunification and asylum, all bring negative net contributions, ranging between EUR 200 000 for family migrants and EUR 400 000 for asylum seekers. The negative contribution is particularly large in the case of African and Middle Eastern asylum seekers.
The studies find evidence for a strong relationship between average net contributions by country and cultural distance, even after controlling for average education and the cito distribution-effect. The cultural distance to African-Islamic countries is large, and their emigrants bring large net fiscal costs, while the distance to Confucian countries is modest and their emigrants on average bring the largest net benefits.
- 1.When will the Commission publish an updated version of its 2020 study? If not, why not?
- 2.Will the Commission use the same methodology as the cited studies, differentiating immigrants by motive, source and generation? If not, why not?
Submitted: 21.5.2025
- [1] https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/232517/1/GLO-DP-0814.pdf.
- [2] Beek, Jan & Roodenburg, Hans & Hartog, Joop & Kreffer, Gerrit. (2023). Borderless Welfare State - The Consequences of Immigration for Public Finances.
- [3] Beek, Jan & Roodenburg, Hans & Hartog, Joop & Kreffer, Gerrit. (2024), The Long-Term Fiscal Impact of Immigrants in the Netherlands, Differentiated by Motive, Source Region and Generation.