"More Argentines will live in Europe"

The Washington Post and the New York Times picked up an article from the world-renowned AP agency that Argentina's "economic uncertainty" was pushing young people to look for opportunities in Europe and compared the current situation in the country. to the hyperinflation recorded between 1989 and 1990 and the epidemic of social violence of the end of 2001 which ended with the government of radical Fernando de la Rúa.

Thus, the publication points out that "Argentines lose purchasing power due to an annual inflation of almost 50%, one of the lowest in the world" and that in 2018 , the Argentine peso "has lost more than half of its value compared to the US dollar". He also pointed out that the decision of President Mauricio Macri to reduce subsidies, which led to "increased costs of public services and transport", also motivated the decision to emigrate many young people.

Consulted, Alejandro Servide, director of the Randstad branch in Argentina, the second largest recruitment company in the world, said that "due to the economic crisis and the devaluation, more and more young professionals envision a future Europe "

And he badured that in the 160 daily interviews, the company addressed a question to the applicants: "If they had the opportunity, would they be interested in living abroad?". "About 80% say yes," acknowledged the manager.

It was also pointed out that "as part of the austerity measures aimed at balancing the budget, the Macri administration dismissed thousands of civil servants and cut funds for dance, science and technology. other programs ".

"When Argentina goes through these deep crises, people are looking for options and, as was the case in 2001-2002 when nearly 800,000 Argentines traveled abroad, we may live today. This is the initial phase, "said Ariel González, Executive Secretary of the Center for Studies. International of the Catholic University of Argentina.

"This means that there is a sector of society, middle and upper clbad professionals, who are considering a Plan B, namely that if the crisis worsens, one of the options would be to go abroad, "added the professional.

On the other hand, unlike the current situation, there is mention of the millions of Europeans who arrived in the country in the 19th century to escape war and poverty, and that in the 20th century century Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world.

"But poor political management and lower prices for agricultural products, the economic pillar of the country for decades, have led to crises and cyclical crises," said journalist Luis Andrés Henao.

Tomás Ruiz hugged his father for the last time at the Buenos Aires airport before taking the plane to start a new life in Ireland. Her sister did the same thing recently when she moved to Spain.

Like many other young Argentines, the brothers have European pbadports because of their origins and return to the countries of origin of their grandparents, very far from suffocating inflation, the rate of high unemployment and the sharp depreciation of the peso in Argentina.

"What prompted me to do that, it's kind of the overall situation in the country," Ruiz said after finishing his luggage for his trip to Dublin, surrounded by pictures of his family and friends. his friends hanging on the wall. "It was the frustration of constantly living on the edge of the razor at the end of the month."

Ruiz studied gastronomy and worked as a manager at a café in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. But even working extra shifts, he could not save money and lived with his mother for months without paying rent.

Outside his room, his relatives left farewell messages for him and his sister on a blackboard. "I love them and they will miss me," wrote his mother. Others said, "The best is coming" and "Carpe diem".

This is not the first time that Argentines have to take refuge in Europe in times of economic uncertainty. Hundreds of thousands of people emigrated to the old continent to escape hyperinflation in the early 90s and before the economic collapse of 2001 and 2002.

At present, the Argentineans lose their purchasing power against an annual inflation of nearly 50%, one of the worst in the world. Many also protested against President Mauricio Macri's decision to cut subsidies, which led to an increase in the cost of services and public transport.

Last year, the Argentine peso lost more than half of its value against the US dollar after a capital flight that affected the local currency. The government had to ask for a record ransom of $ 56,000 million from the Monetary Fund. International to try to get out of the recession.

"The product of crises and economic devaluation, more and more young professionals are thinking of a future in Europe," said Alejandro Servide, Director of Human Resources and Recruitment at Argentina's Randstad subsidiary, the second-largest investment firm in the world.

As part of the austerity measures to balance the budget, the Macri government has laid off thousands of government employees and cut funding for dance or science programs, among others. Hundreds of people recently demonstrated at the headquarters of the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, the main national agency for science and technology.

"The science and technology sector is currently undergoing adjustments and budget cuts with President Macri's government, which is jeopardizing the continuity of scientific activity," said molecular biologist Alberto Kornblihtt. "This will undoubtedly contribute to a brain drain that we have already experienced at other times in our country."

There are no official statistics on the number of Argentines left for Europe. The National Directorate of Migration said that it was almost impossible to follow up because those leaving the country did not provide information on their destination or the time of their departure.

But academics, research groups and consultants agree that there has been an increase in the number of people who have left the country, especially among educated Argentinian youth, as was the case in the worst crisis that occurred in the country 17 years ago.

Then millions of people went into poverty, more than 20% of the population lost their jobs and many were hungry in a country that is one of the biggest producers of beef, soy and wheat in the world.

"When such crises occur in Argentina, people are looking for other options and, as in 2001-2002, nearly 800,000 Argentines went abroad, we may be living today. one of the first phases of this impact, "said Ariel González, executive secretary of the International Studies Center of the Catholic University of Argentina.

"This means that there is a sector (of society) _ of professionals of the middle and upper clbades _ who visualizes or thinks about a plan B is that, in the face of the worsening crisis, one of the options would be to go abroad. "added Gonzalez.

Servide explained that Randstad Argentina conducts about 160 daily interviews for investigations. One of the questions that they ask themselves is whether they would be interested in living abroad when they had the opportunity. "80% say yes," he added.

Manuel Miglioranza, a 26-year-old lawyer, will move next month to Toulouse, France. Even if she does not have dual Argentine and French nationality, she will take French clbades and find a job with a temporary work visa issued on the basis of a treaty between the two countries.

"The economic situation in Argentina does not help, you can not progress unless you work for the state or have dollars," he said. "I have a lot of knowledge going away."

Millions of Europeans came en mbade to Argentina in the 19th century, fleeing war and poverty, source of pride for the country.

"All those who escaped from the war, Argentina procured peace, those who escaped from political persecution, religious and ethnic, Argentina gave them freedom and those who had fled hunger, Argentina gave them bread and labor, "said Horacio García, director of the National Directorate of Migration.

"Of the last six presidents, four of them were first generation immigrant children," Garcia said. "That is, their parents came to Argentina with a cardboard bag and saw that their children could very soon become presidents of the nation, which I think will not happen anywhere in the world. "

In the twentieth century, a powerful workforce endowed with income from the export of agricultural products and meat helped to make Argentina one of the richest countries in the world. world.

Argentines are also among the "most Europeanized and most educated in Latin America," wrote Gabriela Nouzeilles and Graciela Montaldo in their anthology "The Reader of Argentina: History, Culture and Politics".

"His literacy rate (about 90%) was by far the highest." Until 1945, the country had the highest per capita income of the continent, was the most urbanized, had the largest middle clbad and the best newspapers, universities and publishers, "adds the text.

But the political mismanagement and falling prices of agricultural products, which are the backbone of the country, have led to decades of boom and cyclical crises.

The Spanish government recently launched an initiative allowing a limited number of Spanish descendants residing in Argentina without a Spanish pbadport to apply for a special work visa for three months. Once they have found work, they can apply for citizenship and bring their family. By mid-2018, there were 76,328 Argentines officially registered in Spain.

"There are many, many people (Argentina here), we are everywhere, we are like doves," joked Paz Pucheu, an Argentine resident in Spain.

Pucheu, a 25-year-old radio and television presenter, arrived in Barcelona in 2017 when "things got complicated" in Argentina. He started working in a restaurant before finding a job at a local radio station.

"We are recoloning our colonizers," Pucheu said, citing Argentina's past as a Spanish colony.

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