Strasbourg, 14/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Parliament gave the green light to the launch of a framework programme with a financial package of over €4 billion (€4020.37) to ensure effectiveness and solidarity in the management of migratory flows in the EU over the period 2007-2013.
The adoption of the report by Barbara Kudrycka (EPP-ED, Poland) allowed four funds, each dealing with a specific aspect of migration, to be put into the Solidarity and management of migratory flows framework programme. The aim of the main fund, with a budget of €1,820 million (2007-2013), is to ensure a high level of internal security, by improving control and monitoring of the Union's external borders. One of the most important funds in the European Parliament's view is the one for “integration” in the EU (€825 million). “I had to fight, alongside the rapporteur … Right to the end the Council told us that, if we kept our demands as they were, this fund, which was a priority for us, would never see the light of day,” said Mari-Line Reynaud (PES, France) after the vote. This fund will give immigrants a sure legal status and guarantee them a number of rights which will contribute to their integration in all aspects of society, mainly their integration into the labour market. The “fund for refugees” (roughly €699.37) and the “return fund” (€676 million for 2008-2013) seeks respectively to ensure refugees and displaced persons high quality and comparable reception in all Member States, and to put in place a common policy on returning illegal third country nationals. Two other framework programmes, covering the remainder of the policies in the area of Justice and Home Affairs, were adopted by MEPs for the period 2007-20103: Security and safeguard of liberties (€745 million) and Fundamental rights and justice (€542.9 million). The EU Council will still have to give its assent before these instruments can be definitively adopted with a view to their implementation. (bc)