Brussels, 20/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Committee of the Regions (CoR) has issued a number of reports (known as “opinions”) on asylum and immigration policy and it was in this connection that the CoR plenary session on Tuesday 17 July 2012 was addressed by EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström.
The commissioner pointed out the importance of local authorities in implementing asylum and immigration policy: “Integration is a local process. A one-size-fits-all policy imposed at the national level is unlikely to be effective. Far more effective is a tailored approach at the local and regional level, set by people who know and understand the community”. The CoR's elected officials took advantage of the commissioner's presence to point out that immigration policy should not focus solely on security, and also voiced their concerns about threats to the Schengen Agreement.
That same day, members of the CoR unanimously adopted the opinion by Nichi Vendola (PES, Italy) on the “Global Approach to Migration and Mobility” - an opinion which praises work done by the Commission on respect of human rights and the rights of migrants, but which above all places emphasis on the right of every individual to leave any country, including his/her own. The CoR states border controls cannot prevail over programmes set in place for managing migratory flows, and it is not in favour of a selective immigration policy which would entail “brain drains” from certain countries.
The opinion by Theodros Gktsopoulos (PES, Greece), adopted by the CoR the same day, also calls for enhanced intra-EU solidarity on asylum. With this opinion, the CoR points out the urgency to set up an improved EU legislative framework based on the principles of solidarity and fair burden-sharing among member states. (MD/transl.fl)