Berlin – ESI at public debate on African migration to Europe

27 November 2018
Recording of Gerald Knaus' contribution (in German). Audio: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Photo: Sebastian Beug

ESI's Gerald Knaus was invited to a debate with Stephen Smith, author of "La ruée vers l'Europe. La jeune Afrique en route pour le Vieux Continent" and the Africa envoy of the German government, Günther Nooke, moderated by FAZ Paris correspondent Michaela Wiegel. The event was organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Gerald's major point was that the core thesis of Smith's book – that half of all youth in Europe will be Afro-Europeans in 2050 because of demographic trends in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the number of Afro-Europeans rising from 9 Million today to 150-200 Million then – is not a serious projection, but a conjecture based on no empirical evidence or plausible forecasting.

Photo: Sebastian Beug
Photo: Sebastian Beug