Strasbourg, 16/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption, with 255 votes against 192 and 20 abstentions, of the report by Claude Moraes (Labour, UK), the European Parliament is pleading in favour of controlled immigration and improved dialogue with countries of origin (EUROPE of 13 January, p.16). It welcomed the European Commission's communication on immigration, integration and employment, and hopes that this approach will be continued in future. Parliament hopes that the fight against illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings will not include a repressive policy towards illegal immigrants, but should instead target traffickers and employers benefiting from the situation. Parliament feels an active policy of recruitment and admission for vacant jobs and pre-determined professional groups (green cards) is needed, rather than a more random approach. Parliament, which also stressed the various criteria to be taken into consideration to step up the integration of residents from third countries, called upon Member States to get to know other cultures better, in education and public life (politics, employment market, public services). It also called for voting rights in local elections and (233 in favour, 223 against) European elections for immigrants residing legally in the EU.