Integration of foreigners and protection of minorities: a comparative study of international and European law.

Summary Migration flows in the world today concern a population of nearly two hundred and thirty-two million individuals, according to the most recent statistics. The impact of this phenomenon on the countries of Europe is considerable and covers a wide range of areas. The aim is to analyze whether the legal tools available to European states are adapted to the multi-faceted challenges of managing migratory flows. Our study focuses on some of the legal aspects relating to the status of migrant populations in the countries in which they find themselves. We are particularly interested in the case of immigrant populations, of the same geographical, ethnic, linguistic and cultural origin, who, having established themselves in a given country, constitute a minority there as a result of an inability to integrate for multiple reasons (linguistic, cultural and religious difficulties, various forms of discrimination, community withdrawal, hostility on the part of the host country, etc.). The question to which we are attempting to provide a legal response is that of the mutation from the status of "immigrant" to that of "minority". The precise definitions of these notions, their fields of application, and the way in which international law and national and European jurisdictions understand them constitute the first stage of our work. The legal implications of this change in status, which has numerous implications for the rights that arise from it, are examined.