ABSTRACT
As the European Union moves towards a common set of policies on immigration and asylum, increasing attention to public opinion on immigration suggests that public opinion matters (Anderson 1998; Dalton & Eichenberg 1998; Franklin, Marsh & McLaren 1994). Governments often find it difficult to reconcile public concerns about immigration with the EU project of internal free movement for EU citizens. In addition, citizens concerned about unemployment and a downturn in the economy have become increasingly vocal in pressing for more restrictive measures on policies concerning family reunification, freedom of movement, work permits and border security. In this chapter, the development of immigration policy and public opinion in Europe will be discussed in three sections. The first section discusses contemporary concerns about temporary and irregular migration in Europe since the 1990s. The second section examines attempts to build a regional response to migration policy through the development of EU legislation. These two sections provide a background to the third and final section on EU migration policy and public attitudes towards new migration flows.
