On the other hand, due to a lack of young people who could potenially be trained, Italy will find herself lagging behind in the arena of international economic competition. So the aging of the population in Italy and in Europe could have serious long-term consequences for international competition for our country. It is similar to how the drive from Mexico to the United States cannot be resisted. Therefore, if we cannot resist it we better regulate it. We have to establish how many people can be absorbed by the labor market in Italy from an economic standpoint and from a socio-cultural standpoint.
Immigration has to be gradual so that the social organism can accept and live with the immigration.
If the immigrant population becomes excessive there can be incidents of racism, of intolerance. I believe that an immigration rate into Italy of between 50,000 and 100,000 per year can be sustained. If we go over 100,000 then I could see there being a rejection. The situation in Italy and Europe is very different than the United States. The US was a country that was born and grew up with immigration.