Banking on mobility over a generation: follow-up to the regional study on the management of the external borders of the European Union and its impact on the human rights of migrants 2015, para. 74
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Similarly, conceptions of migrants as "a burden" are not based in reality, nor are they productive. Much European Union debate focuses on the need to share the "burden" of irregular migration across different member States. Against a backdrop of fiscal and demographic challenges in many countries and political discourses of austerity, discussing external migration as a "burden" again legitimizes the further securing of borders and encourages negative public attitudes. While society undoubtedly has a responsibility towards migrants and more solidarity in sharing this responsibility is encouraged, migration in itself is not and should not be presented as a burden. Much economic literature suggests that, as workers, consumers and taxpayers, migrants contribute to the economic growth of societies with very limited downsides. In fact, the perceived burden of migration comes predominantly from the financial, technological and human resources necessary to implement the European Union's counterproductive security-focused policies and deal with their unintended (although foreseeable) secondary effects. Acknowledging that migrants are human beings with rights, the European Union and its member States should be talking about sharing a responsibility, not a burden.
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Non-negotiated soft law
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Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants