For many years the public debate on immigration in Europe has focused mainly on two issues: border control and asylum procedures. Yet another challenge has become increasingly visible across several European societies—the emergence of parallel societies.
The term refers to situations in which communities with an immigrant background live for long periods largely separated from the wider social, economic and civic life of the host country. In such contexts, integration is limited, delayed or sometimes absent altogether. The issue is not cultural diversity itself, but the development of structural separation within the same national territory.
This question has become particularly relevant in several European countries, including the United Kingdom. Debates about community cohesion, social integration and the risks of segregated neighbourhoods have been part of British public life for decades, especially since the early 2000s.
Against this background, the experience of Denmark has attracted increasing attention.
In 2018 the Danish government introduced a set of policies aimed at preventing the formation of what it calls parallel societies. These measures were designed to address urban areas characterised by persistent social and economic disadvantage combined with a high concentration of residents with immigrant backgrounds. The legislation has since been adjusted and refined in the following years.
What makes the Danish approach particularly interesting is the principle underlying it: integration is not viewed solely as a social aspiration, but increasingly as a legally relevant condition for long-term participation in society.
The Danish model begins with the identification of neighbourhoods that display a combination of risk factors: unemployment, low educational outcomes, reduced income levels, higher crime rates and social isolation. Where these factors persist, targeted policies are introduced to address them.
These measures may involve housing reforms aimed at preventing excessive concentration of disadvantaged groups, strengthened educational policies, language requirements, employment programmes and initiatives designed to promote social mobility and participation in the national community.
The central idea is straightforward: integration cannot rely entirely on spontaneous social processes. If a state accepts immigration, it must also ensure that those who settle in the country become active participants in the economic, civic and cultural life of society.
This debate resonates strongly in the United Kingdom.
Britain has long relied on a model that combines immigration with strong expectations of participation in public life—through work, language acquisition, respect for democratic values and commitment to the rule of law. At the same time, concerns about segregated communities and limited social mobility in certain areas have periodically raised questions about how integration can be strengthened.
The Danish experience therefore offers an interesting case study for British observers. It suggests that integration may need to be treated not only as a social objective, but also as a matter of public policy supported by clear institutional tools.
Within the broader European debate, the Danish model also helps clarify an important conceptual distinction that is sometimes misunderstood: the difference between remigration and reimmigration.
In some political discussions across Europe, the term remigration has been used to describe large-scale return policies directed at immigrant populations or even their descendants. However, such an approach raises significant legal and constitutional concerns.
European legal systems are built on principles such as equality before the law, non-discrimination and the protection of private and family life. As a result, any attempt to organise the systematic removal of settled populations on the basis of origin or background would be extremely difficult to reconcile with democratic legal frameworks.
In practical terms, remigration understood as the generalised removal of immigrant communities is not compatible with the constitutional principles governing contemporary European democracies.
This is precisely why it is important to distinguish it from the concept of reimmigration.
Reimmigration is not based on collective expulsions, nor does it target people on ethnic or cultural grounds. Instead, it is grounded in a principle of reciprocity between the state and the individual.
The state guarantees rights, legal protection and opportunities for participation. In return, individuals who wish to live permanently in the country are expected to integrate into society—through employment, language, respect for the rule of law and participation in the civic life of the nation.
Where integration is successful, immigration becomes a normal and positive element of society. But where integration persistently fails and parallel communities develop, the state must retain lawful and proportionate tools to protect social cohesion.
This is the logic behind the paradigm “Integration or Reimmigration.”
For the United Kingdom, the question can be framed in simple terms: can a sustainable immigration policy exist if integration is discussed politically but rarely measured or enforced in practice?
The Danish experience suggests that an increasing number of European countries are beginning to address that question more directly. Immigration cannot be treated solely as a matter of entry or legal status. It must also be understood as a long-term process of civic participation in the national community.
In societies undergoing significant demographic and social change, democratic states face a delicate balance: safeguarding individual rights while maintaining the cohesion that allows those rights to function within a shared civic framework.
The Danish model represents one of the first attempts in Europe to confront this challenge through concrete legal and policy instruments. Whether or not other countries adopt similar measures, the debate it has triggered is likely to remain central to the future of immigration policy across Europe—including in the United Kingdom.
Avv. Fabio Loscerbo
Registered Lobbyist in the European Union Transparency Register
ID 280782895721-36
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7030-0428
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