Brussels, 20/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 20 April, the European Commission held a policy debate on migration questions ahead of the communication on managing migratory flows, which it will be presenting on 4 May (and not on 24 May as indicated incorrectly on 19 April) before the Home Affairs Ministers' Council on 12 May and the June summit, which will outline a series of measures on immigration and EU border policies.
This communication is expected to focus on enhancing EU resources, such as Frontex agency patrols, for improving border management and tackling migration flows. It will also look at the respective competences of member states and the Commission in this domain, and also governance of the Schengen area. On Wednesday, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, the spokesperson for President Barroso, explained that this issue was also part of the debate.
On Wednesday, commissioners also discussed the question of integrating migrants into the EU (the Commission had already indicated in its 2011 working programme that it would launch “phase 2” of the joint integration programme, which aims to improve current integration policy coordination instruments and develop new tools), as well as legal immigration. Several member states (particularly France and the United Kingdom) have very recently indicated that they intended to reduce the number of foreign workers they admitted every year. On Monday 18 April, Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström indicated during a press briefing that the EU always needed foreign workers. On Wednesday morning, the commissioners also discussed the need for labour in the context of the ageing European population.
The communication of 4 May is expected to respond to the current situation and the significant numbers of migrants arriving in Italy and Malta. This policy debate, however, had been planned a long time ago by the Commission, which had included a whole series of initiatives for fighting illegal immigration in its work programme. In this programme, the Commission included an amendment to the Schengen Border Code, known as “Initiatives on Smart Borders”. This included an entry/exit system that would help identify and question illegal immigrants (particularly those who have outstayed their authorised period of residence in a specific country) and discouraging illegal immigration. For 2011, the Commission is also counting on introducing a traveller registration programme, which will facilitate entry to the EU's for frequent non-EU travellers who have undergone prior investigation and security checks.
All these initiatives are assuming a particular tone at the moment, with Italy and Malta having to confront significant arrivals of economic migrants and refugees on their shores. 760 migrants from Libya arrived in Italy on Wednesday. For the past two months, Italy has been stepping up its requests for solidarity to be shown among member states, so that they share the “burden” of the 25,000 Tunisian migrants who have arrived at Lampedusa since January. Some of these migrants are now free to travel around the Schengen area because they have received permits from Italy. These appeals, however, have not had a great effect up until now but Italy has, however, benefited from a Frontex agency mission - Hermes. Malta, on the other hand, which has also taken in more refugees was granted an extension by the Luxembourg courts to the pilot project that allows other member states, on a voluntary basis, to take some of these refugees on their respective territories.
On Tuesday 19 April, these two countries, together with three other Mediterranean basin states, Spain, Cyprus and Greece, renewed this appeal for solidarity in Nicosia. They called for the EU to take more action to tackle the significant immigration flows and to offer them concrete operational and financial support, explained the AFP agency. These five countries also called for a common and coordinated European system for managing immigration and asylum by 2012. This would include beefing up repatriation measures, something that the Commission will also have to submit to heads of state and government next June, as well as a revision of the Dublin II rules, which outline how member states are supposed to process requests for asylum. On 4 May, Michele Cercone, the spokesman for Commissioner Malmström, indicated that the asylum section is not expected to be part of 4 May proposals. He explained that the communication mainly focused on immigration. On the question of asylum, the Commission has already put a “package” on the Council's table and, before the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, is likely to bring forward amendments to the texts of this package, which is currently blocked at member state level. One area covered includes, for example, the directive on granting and withdrawing international protection. (S.P./transl.fl)