Brussels, 20/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - By adopting, during its July plenary session, with a majority (2 votes against and 10 abstentions) its opinion on "A Community immigration policy", the Economic and Social Committee mainly calls for the channelling of immigration down legal paths, that immigration candidates have an employment offer before even leaving their country of origin and a temporary work visa. The opinion rapporteur was Pariza Castanos (workers group, Spain) and the co-rapporteur Dario Mangozzi (group of diverse activities, Italy).
In its opinion, the Committee underlines that the EU employment market is experiencing a shortage of workers not only qualified, but also unqualified. The Member States should prove to be favourable to these two forms of workers and recognise the positive contribution in economic and social terms of workforce immigration. Drawing attention to the policies restraining the entry of migrants seeking work as have been implemented by the Member States over the last decades and which have favoured a immigration of low skill labour (especially agriculture, catering, domestic work, construction etc.) and illegal migrants), the Committee feels that it is first necessary to channel immigration down legal paths, and to better define mechanisms. Thus the Committee reveals two admission mechanisms for the immigrant candidates in the EU: they must, while remaining in their country of origin, (1) have a job offer in an EU State and (2) gain an official authorisation from the consulate to come to seek employment. Moreover, the Committee proposes that the candidates have a temporary employment seeker visa, whose content would be discussed by social partners at the level of each State concerned.
Finally, the Committee feels that it is necessary to envisage political and institutional support for the voluntary return to their country and that immigrants - legal and illegal - must enjoy the same rights as citizens from the Member States (such as, the right to move freely within the EU or the right to vote in local elections, access to the nationality of the country in which they reside).