Brussels, 12/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - In the debate on the Bill, known as the “returns directive”, in Strasbourg next week, the groups on the left of the European Parliament (PES, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL) will try to improve conditions for the return of illegal immigrants threatened with expulsion from the European Union. “We want Europe to have common standards for returning people with no residence permits to their country of origin, but these returns must be carried out with dignity and in full respect of their human rights,” said Claudio Fava (PES, Italy) in a press release published on Wednesday 11 June. The text will be debated in plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday 17 June and will be voted on the following day. The three aforementioned groups have put forward some 30 amendments which, if adopted, will substantially change the compromise recently agreed in the Justice and Home Affairs Council (see EUROPE 9676 and 9679).
On the point that is most talked about in the media, the Socialists propose to reduce the maximum length of time illegal immigrants can be held in a detention centre from six to three months. This could be extended by a further three months in exceptional circumstances. The Council wants to extend it to 18 months. The Socialists say the legal decision to detain an illegal immigrant must be made within 72 hours and not “as soon as possible”, as the Council recommends. They also want the detention to be reviewed by legal authorities at least once per month, not “at regular intervals”. The immigrants should also have at least four weeks to organise their return journey when they decide of themselves to return: member states want a timescale of between 7 and 30 days. The Socialists want the decision to expel an unaccompanied minor to be followed up by child support agencies to ensure that a member of family or guardian is able to meet the young person on his/her return to the country of origin. There should be no restriction on those who agree voluntarily to go back to their country returning to Europe legally. The Council would only authorise a return to the EU after five years.
The Greens have brought forward 11 amendments one of which proposes rejection of the proposal. The Greens want the decision to remove an illegal immigrant to be optional for member states. They also want to see the five-year ban on returning to the EU withdrawn and the maximum term of detention to be three months. They believe that detention cannot be justified simply because the return country does not cooperate. They believe, too, that families with children should only be detained in exceptional circumstances. The GUE/NGL group has said it will bring forward 10 amendments, with one calling for the whole proposal to be rejected. The group's other amendments seek, for example, to get rid of the Articles that provide for 18 months' detention in secure centres, the ban on returning to the EU, the possibility of returning migrants to transit countries like Libya, and the repatriation of unaccompanied minors. “The agreement on the returns directive negotiated between the Council and the rapporteur, German EPP MEP Manfred Weber is unacceptable in both substance and style. … It is not surprising that this directive has been called the directive of shame,” lamented GUE/NGL leader Francis Wurtz in a press release. (B.C./transl.rt)