Brussels, 05/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - As indicated by Commission President José Manuel Barroso in his reply to the letter from Italian and French leaders Silvio Berlusconi and Nicolas Sarkozy (see EUROPE 10369), the European Commission has, in its communication on migration on 4 May, put down in black and white the principle of making economic aid to the countries of the southern Mediterranean dependent on their undertaking to tackle illegal emigration.
In its text, the Commission says that dialogue and cooperation with migrants' countries of origin and transit is essential. “Such collaboration needs to be built on security and good governance for the establishment of mutually beneficial policies in the field of legal migration.” This collaboration “also implies enhanced economic cooperation in order to develop the conditions for growth and employment in the countries of origin, to address the causes of irregular migration”. However, the Commission adds, “such cooperation should also build on the principle of conditionality applied to migration issues in order to encourage effective commitment by our partners in preventing irregular migration flows, in managing their borders efficiently and in cooperating on the return and readmission of irregular migrants”. (S.P./transl.rt)