Introduction: Comparing the New Hosts of Southern Europe

Since the closure of legal immigration channels in Central and Northern Europe in the mid-1970s, immigrants began to arrive in Southern European countries, consid ering these countries partly as stepping stones towards their richer neighbours and partly as immigration destinations in their own right. Th e economic growth experi enced by Southern Europe in the 1980s, the entry of Greece (1981) and then Portugal and Spain (1986) in the European Communities, the increasing education level of young populations and their consequent fl eeing from low skilled jobs, and the rela tive booming of the informal economy in these countries have created employment opportunities for immigrants. As a matter of fact, Southern European countries, Spain and Italy in particular, fi gure in recent years at the top of the list as immigrant destinations among EU member states.