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Yevgeny Tarlo, member of the Committee of the Council of Federation on Economic Policy
Our population demands purely prohibitive measures which are not effective.
The economy needs other things.
It is an illusion that the majority of migrants steal the jobs of Russian citizens,
I mean external migration.
It is an illusion that we will manage to fill jobs of builders, road workers,
dishwashers, milkmaids, crop growers and many others, if we today restrict the number of migrants,
including horticultural markets.
Unfortunately, today there is a view that evil businessmen want to save money and find a cheap labour force,
so they donít employ native citizens, and this is a key of the problem.
But it is simplification.
First of all we should distinguish between a criminal problem and an economic problem.
If we want to solve it, we should have the same number of native citizens
who are ready to work at horticultural markets under the same economic conditions.
I donít think we have them.
It will lead to an increase of working expenses, including expenses on salary;
indirectly it includes the fund payments, expenses on accommodation, utility payments and so on
ñ all these moments will be reflected in producing costs.
So, I donít see an opportunity to replace this huge number of migrants at our constructions
and our hard and dirty works.
The same problem is about new Moscow.
We have planned to build new Moscow.
I donít think that people who live in the center of Moscow
or even in Moscow bedroom districts will build the new Moscow,
will be workers: welders, crane operators ñ these jobs require skills;
but there are less skilled jobs ñ concrete workers, unskilled workers, loaders.
I doubt we have such a reserve.
So, when we start such big construction project or we want to provide Moscow with food,
we should think over who will work at constructions, roads, horticultural markets.
We have to face the problem.
We have to solve the problem and first of all we need legalization.
I think the germ of the problemís settlement is in simplification of migrantsí legalization.
Look at Western Europe and the U.S.A.
We should admit that the police system is more effective there.
Nevertheless, there are hundred thousands of illegal migrants in Europe and America,
I donít mention legal migrants.
Many of you have visited Paris and have seen these districts around the center.
Probably the majority of migrants living there are legal, but military activities in Libya,
the breakdown in Somali cause huge, enormous illegal migration.
It is a huge problem for Italy, for instance.
They are separated by the sea.
And we know that ferries are sinking.
We have no guarded borders which we could close for the countries
where the labour force inflow comes from.
We donít have such opportunities.
Our borders are open.
We could build high wallsÖ
Israel built a fence which separates it from Egypt.
It cost billions, but the country is tiny.
And you know migrants dig tunnels.
We cannot build such a fence and separate ourselves from neighboring countries.
We shouldnít forget an important thing:
we were born in one country and we still have a common language for communication.
We still have common grounds of our cultures, including such distant countries as Kyrgyzstan, for example.
They are still striving to come to us.
What will happen, if we break this?
I donít think Russian citizensí security will be improved by this.
Life shows that it will be vice versa.
Our borders will continue to drain.
Any instability in neighboring countries will cause strongest migration.
And due to humanitarian norms, historic ties, and geopolitical problems,
we will have to provide refugees with support; we will have to welcome these migrants.