Ronald Childs misses the point about immigration to Europe (Opinion, March 13).

It is not a question of European countries needing to share the "burden" of immigration but, rather, recognising that many European countries, including the UK, need immigration in order to maintain a stable population and hence a healthy economy.

Without immigration, the EU population is set to decline from a peak of 376 million to 311 million by the year 2050. In order to maintain the population at its current level, Europe would require around 1.4 million immigrants a year - that's four times as many asylum applications as were actually made in Europe in 2000.

The reason we need a stable population should be self-evident when you consider Europe's ageing population profile.

Italy, for example, currently has four people of working age to support every older person.

By 2050, without immigration, the ratio will drop to one-and-a-half people of working age to every older person.

When you add to this the fact that research shows foreign-born people in the UK contribute some 10 per cent more to the State than they receive from it and consider the extent to which

our immigrant communities have enhanced and enriched our society, we should be talking about how we can welcome those people who wish to come to the UK rather than about "burden sharing".

-Chris Whitwell, Sussex University