Strasbourg, 10/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 6 July, the European Parliament approved a draft Council decision requiring Member States to inform the other EU countries of any asylum or immigration measure that could have an impact on the Union, and also an own initiative report containing a number of recommendations on helping immigrants integrate.
The draft Council decision was initiated in 2005, when Spain was on the point of launching a massive operation which ended with the regularisation of more than 600,000 illegal immigrants. Some Member States said they had not been informed of this initiative and expressed their concerns over its consequences on their own migratory flows. Agreeing with the stance of rapporteur Patrick Gaubert (EPP-ED, France), the EP called on Member States to inform the Commission and other Member States, particularly by Internet, of the latest measures adopted in the areas of asylum and immigration, if they were likely to have a significant effect in other Member States and at EU level. MEPs pointed out that it was important that, when the new system was implemented, all States supplied information on their current national legislations, making up, in sort, a “data bank”. Additionally, MEPs proposed that, twice a year, each Member State provide a report explaining and analysing the latest measures taken at national level and their likely impact at European level. This report would supplement the online data and would serve as the basis for discussions between political authorities. Finally, the Parliament argued for more regular debates between the politicians responsible at European level to improve coordination of migration policies in Europe. This proposal is very much of the moment as the Romano Prodi government would appear to be about to regularise some 300,000 people.
MEPs also adopted a draft resolution based on the report by Stavros Lambrinidis (PES, Greece) on the strategies and means for the integration of third-country nationals in the EU. MEPs welcomed the Commission proposal to establish a European Fund for Integration of third-country nationals for the period 2007-2013 and suggested additional measures to help the integration of this population into the Union. They called on the Commission to create a permanent contact group of immigrant representatives, experts and NGOs to advise it on all integration policies. Member States were called on to encourage immigrants to become politically involved and to combat their political and social isolation. According to the rapporteur, the Commission had to take on its role as strategist, by carrying out a review of the existing provisions relating to EU citizenship and current practice in Member States in relation to the right of long-term immigrants to vote in local and municipal elections. “How can a young people feel European if they are not granted any rights?” asked Mr Lambrinidis. Finally, Member States have to put in place transparent, humane, rapid and reasonable measures to grant long-term residence status, to bring families together again, and to naturalise long-term immigrants and their children, particularly those born in a Member State.