Strasbourg, 27/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - MEPs have decided to take action against the double discrimination facing women immigrants (because of being both women and immigrants) by promoting their integration into the EU, better access to the labour market, education and language learning. Adopting a report at the plenary in Strasbourg on Tuesday by Greek EPP-ED MEP Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou by 449 to 133 with 55 abstentions, the European Parliament called on Member States to guarantee that women immigrants' fundamental rights were respected, whether the women have their legal papers or not, namely protection against slavery and violence, access to emergency medical care, legal aid, education for children and migrant workers, fair treatment with regards working conditions and the right to join trade unions. The report recommends ensuring favourable conditions in the Member States for women immigrants to be able to join the labour market and combine home and family life in order to combat work on the black. The European Parliament stresses the importance of unconditional or even priority access for women immigrants to education and language classes and invites Member States to introduce compulsory language classes for immigrant women and young girls. The report urges companies which have not yet made violence against women and children a crime to do so to ensure that effective penalties exist in the countries' legal systems to act as a deterrent, particularly with regard to forced marriage, polygamy, so-called honour crimes and female genital mutilation. Member States are urged, in line with a 2004 directive, to simplify procedures for granting temporary or permanent residence rights to victims of violence and the sex trade. Some 54% of immigrants are women from an ever growing series of categories - economic migrants, women who have come to the EU to join their husbands here, political refugees and asylum seekers. (bc)