Ukrainians in Spain, Portugal and Italy

From March 4 – 20, 2006, President of Ukrainian World Congress (UWC, umbrella for Ukrainian organization world wide), Mr. Askold S. Lozynskyj, visited Ukrainian communities in Spain, Portugal and Italy. This is a short diary of his trip.

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Spain

From March 8 – 12, UWC President Askold Lozynskyj visited Ukrainian communities in Spain. The phenomenon of a vibrant Ukrainian community in Spain is not entirely new, but today’s quantity of that community is staggering. Following WW2 a handful of Ukrainians settled in Spain. Today the community numbers four hundred thousand. (According to the Ukrainian community leadership in Spain that number is six hundred thousand) However, only twenty five percent are considered legal. Heavy Concentrations are located in such cities as Madrid, Valencia, Mursia, Alicante, Seville and Villarrobledo.
Aside from increasing trade relations (last year trade between Ukraine and Spain exceeded one billion dollars), Ukraine’s top priority with Spain is reaching an agreement on immigration. The negotiations have been ongoing for several years and the draft is under scrutiny currently by Spain’s Foreign Ministry. This complex subject includes a number of issues including but not limited to employment, pension payment, etc. At the present time no sweeping legalization/amnesty of existing immigrants is anticipated. The government of Spain is enacting and implementing specific migrant workers procedures and pilot projects in various regions of Ukraine, i.e. Chernivtsi where the Embassy of Spain in Kyiv will issue visas.
There is a Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid, a General Consulate in Barcelona and a new Consulate just authorized. Despite the lack of an ambassador and short staff, the embassy is very active in assisting Ukrainian immigrants and developing relations with Spanish government officials.
The Ukrainian community is well organized with structures in heavily concentrated locations, including churches, community centers and Saturday schools. Churches are generally not Ukrainian owned but provide at little or no cost by the Spanish Catholic Church. A federation of associations based in Valencia, which is a member of the Ukrainian World Congress, affords additional community coordination. The Federation of Ukrainian Associations in Spain organized a conference entitled “Ukraine-Spain: A step towards Europe” in Valencia on March 10, 2006, attended by Spanish and Ukrainian representatives. Additionally the UWC Council on Assistance to Ukraine’s citizens abroad held an informative assembly followed by a cultural program in Valencia on March 11, 2006.
Perhaps, the most positive characteristic of Ukrainians in Spain next to their size, is their composition. The community is young, gender equally diverse with children, highly intelligent and respected by their Spanish neighbors. Additionally Spain enables property ownership by both legal residents and foreigners. The likelihood of a long-term duration for this community is quite high.

Portugal

From March 15 – 18, Mr. Lozynskyj also visited Ukrainian communities in Portugal. Some two hundred thousand Ukrainians reside in Portugal, essentially all new arrivals over the last seven years. Only one third have legal status. The composition is gender equally diverse, children, and average age in the late thirties, highly educated. Their lines of employment range from desk administrative positions to construction and taxi driving. In March 2005, a treaty between Ukraine and Portugal took effect regarding migrant workers, affording opportunities to procure workers visas for not more than one year with extension possibilities pursuant to contract with a Portuguese employer. The treaty provides for full protection and security afforded to indigenous employees. However, statistically, few have arrived pursuant to this treaty.
The presence of the government of Ukraine is palpable through a very active embassy in Lisbon and a recently opened consulate in Porto. Since trade between Ukraine and Portugal is negligible (seventy million last year), the major function of the embassy and consulate is dealing with issues of Ukrainian citizens abroad, providing consular services, enabling voter participation etc.
Nevertheless, despite rising unemployment, Portugal remains receptive to immigrants, Ukrainians rank third among immigrants in Portugal.
The preeminent Ukrainian community organization is a national coordinating body – the Association (Spilka) of Ukrainians in Portugal with almost twenty branches/affiliates. The Association has established good relations with Portuguese government institutions, in particular, with those relevant to immigrants, i.e. the High Commissioner for Immigration and Ethnic Minorities, as well as municipal authorities which often provide funding for projects as well as accommodations for administration, schooling and the training and performances of cultural ensembles. The Ukrainian Catholic Church functions in tandem with the community and benefits greatly from the largesse and support of the Portuguese Catholic Church and its Lisbon Patriarch (Cardinal). The Ukrainian church answers directly to the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine.
During his visit the UWC president met with Ukraine’s diplomatic officials, particularly Ambassador Rostyslav Tronenko who accompanied the UWC president throughout the visit, Portugal’s High Commissioner on Immigration and Ethnic Minorities, and numerous high level officials of the City of Lisbon. Additionally, meetings were held with the Association leadership, its branches, and representatives of the media, the Ukrainian catholic churches in Lisbon and Fatima and the Saturday school in Lisbon. The community appears headed for long-term existence with significant clout, as today it constitutes five percent of the total population of Portugal.

Italy

From March 4 – 20, Mr. Lozynskyj also visited Ukrainian communities in Italy: Venice, Rome and Naples.
Italian relations with Ukraine are significant, at least for Ukraine, in that aggregate trade between the two countries last year totaled more than three billion dollars, for Ukraine second only to Germany. The trade balance favors Ukraine by some seven hundred million. Ukraine exports chemicals and metallurgy, while Italy exports finished goods such as clothing. Italy has become a transient home for some one million Ukrainian in recent years, although only twenty percent are legalized.
The stark movement of Ukrainians to Italy, temporary or not, can be explained by several factors: job opportunities, periodic legalization amnesties and easy transport via private cars and buses. A legal and illegal network of busing from Ukraine throughout Italy from Naples to Milan provides facile legal and illegal transport for humans, parcels and money.
The government of Ukraine is visible with Embassies in Rome and the Vatican City and a General Consulate in Milan. Relations between the diplomatic personnel and the Ukrainian immigrants, mainly Ukrainian citizens, have improved since Ukraine’s election of December 2004.The most significant organizational force for Ukrainians in Italy is the Ukrainian Catholic Church with permanent edifices, however, only in Rome and loaned facilities throughout some ninety communities served by itinerant priests. The Italian Roman Catholic Church provides funding and coordination directly and indirectly through structures such as Caritas.
The community is structured but not centralized with regional and local associations such as the Christian Association of Ukrainians in Italy, the Association of Ukrainians in Italy, Ukraine Plus, Association of Ukrainian Women and Association of Ukrainian Women Workers. The contemporary community leadership actively has sought and established relations with municipal authorities, trade unions, international organizations (Red Cross, International Organization for Migration, the latter in the area of human trafficking) and the media. Several communities boast of a Saturday/Sunday Ukrainian school program with facilities provided by local government officials and organizations.
Aside from general legalization, the greatest need is a treaty between Ukraine and Italy regarding the logistics of receiving an Italian pension upon return to Ukraine.Inasmuch as the average age of the Ukrainian immigrant Italy is over forty and the composition is essentially female with husbands and children back home, the future of the Ukrainian community as such is unclear. There has been some reunification of families and marriage, which may ensure albeit a less sizeable community. However, such analysis is premature until Ukraine reaches at least parity with the poorest countries in the EU.