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Johan Leman, 16 December 2023

Transnationalism is a phenomenon that has emerged in migration in Europe since 2000, and increasingly so. In the US, it had been encountered earlier. It means that people have come to experience what was traditionally one national space, has become in some cases two or even more national spaces. Specifically, some Italians who work and live five days in Brussels, may fly back and forth to Italy for the weekend. But it could also be the Ghanaian who keeps a shop open in Brussels while also keeping a shop with the same products open in Accra. And it’s not just about business… So we know the Turkish lady, migrant in Brussels, who becomes a minister in Erdogan’s government in Turkey, or the Moroccan footballer from Vilvoorde who plays in Genk, but opts for the Moroccan national team. The phenomenon of transnationalism in migration is more likely to increase than decrease. It has to do with globalisation: goods, people, services move very fast, at lower cost, and the WWW network allows for continuous contacts and far-reaching personal involvement with what is even very far away.

Does this indicate a lack of loyalty on the part of those involved? No, or let us say: not necessarily. Doesn’t this put some migrants in more advantageous positions with more and better opportunities than non-migrants? It might sometimes happen. Although the same transnational openness also exists for non-migrants, some of whom see their children settle in the US or Canada. It is the world changing.

But something like this cannot be without impact on integration policy. There will have to be more transparency between host country and country of origin… if a new kind of problems is to be avoided. More transparency and better agreements, for instance on property and income… to limit ourselves to the most predictable challenges. But is it already urgent and visible enough to be put on the agenda?

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