Brussels, 31/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission plans, in May, to present proposals for dealing with the tricky problem of unaccompanied minors arriving as immigrants into the European Union. With this in mind, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström met Spanish Secretary of State for Immigration Anna Terrón on Monday 29 March. According to the Spanish EU Presidency, the Commission's proposals will be presented on 5 May. The Commission's action plan, however, which is to be submitted in the form of a communication, could be presented later in the month, the EU executive body states. EU regulations relating to the situation of children and adolescents fleeing from their country of origin without their parents, often in the hands of human traffickers, is a priority for the Spanish Presidency, which trusts measures may be adopted by 30 June.
In September, Spain formally presented to its European partners its request for an action plan to be adopted. Such a plan would include prevention measures and facilitate the assisted return of minors to their families or care institutions in their countries of origin, while ensuring the minors' protection at all times. These children are mostly boys, between 14 and 18 years of age, who are being cared for in emergency centres in various locations in southern Europe, pending a solution to their situation. In the Canary Islands alone, there are 30 such centres for foreigners, that have taken in over 6,000 children over the past ten years. In light of the situation, one of the measures the Spanish EU Presidency is calling for is a training plan for those in charge of the children housed in the centres.
Some countries, such as Spain and Italy as well as Finland and Sweden, are more affected than others by the phenomenon of unaccompanied minors. In 2008 alone, over 11,000 requests for asylum for unaccompanied minors were introduced in the Union.
In its communication, the Commission is expected to raise questions on several themes: - unaccompanied minors not asking for asylum and that are not protected by Community directives; - determination of the age of persons stating they are minors, and of their country of origin so that they might possibly be returned; - the problem of the disappearance of unaccompanied minors and the vigilance that is needed with regard to human trafficking. In this context, Europol and Frontex resources could be deployed for the organisation of exchange of information and best practice and the development of closer cooperation with the countries of origin. The aim is to target children in areas of high emigration. It is also necessary to provide institutions able to take the children in when it is impossible to locate their families, and information campaigns for preventing the phenomenon of unaccompanied emigrants. During her meeting with Cecilia Malmström on Monday in Brussels, Anna Terrón put the final touches to the content of the next ministerial EU conference to be held in Zaragoza, on 15 and 16 April, when the foundations are to be laid for Community integration policy, a new area of European action set out in the Lisbon Treaty. (B.C./transl.jl)