Cannes, 08/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - It was a very happy Brice Hortefeux, French Immigration Minister, who, in the evening of Monday 7 July, welcomed the “unanimous agreement” on the proposed European Pact on Immigration and Asylum presented to European Union member states in Cannes. The aims of the pact are to encourage legal immigration for work, to regulate immigration of families, to combat illegal immigration by stepping up border controls, and to make it easier to remove illegal immigrants.
With this success, France, only a few days after taking over the reins of the EU, has managed to get one of the four priorities of its Presidency (climate change, immigration, agriculture and defence) adopted. EU home affairs ministers have managed to smooth out the last remaining differences of opinion on the text (see EUROPE 9698). “This agreement means that we can look forward to signing in mid-October,” on 15 and 16 at the European summit scheduled for Brussels, Hortefeux, accompanied by his German, Spanish, Czech and Swedish counterparts, told a press conference. “The meeting was a genuine, total success … this is a historic afternoon,” he added, unable to hide his joy. “With this pact, Europe is neither a fortress nor a sieve. We are organising legal immigration and disrupting illegal immigration,” he went on. Permeating the plan is the idea of “chosen” immigration, so dear to the heart of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. “We are talking about chosen and planned immigration, that is, immigration that takes account of the needs of countries and their capacities for receiving new immigrants, on the basis of dialogue with the (migrants') countries of origin,” Hortefeux said. European Immigration Commissioner Jacques Barrot stated: “We agree with the concept of planned immigration. We will keep a close eye on how the pact is implemented”. The pact makes specific reference to several points proposed by the European Commission. Hortefeux committed himself to realising at least two of these proposals: the directive to bring sanctions against employers who take on illegal immigrants and the proposed “blue card” to attract highly qualified third country nationals.
Sweden and Finland, which wanted to make sure that there was no impression given of a fortress Europe, also said that the proposed text was good. Finnish Immigration Minister Astrid Thors said it contained many good things, but still had to be worked on. Both Finland and Sweden believe that the text should make it easier for refugees to come to the EU. Denmark, likewise, is not at all keen on the idea of a European border guard, which the pact implies will ultimately be set up. Similarly, the Netherlands would like to see more ambitious proposals on asylum. Malta would like asylum requests to be better shared out among the 27 member states. To try to respond to these calls, the pact will be formally discussed and debated at a meeting of high ranking civil servants on 17 July. Ministers will be informed of any changes at the JHA Council in Brussels on 27 July. Permanent representatives to the EU will meet in September, before a final version of the pact is put to European leaders in October. “This pact sends a strong signal. It will now be difficult for a member state to go beyond the lines drawn. Maybe once it comes into practice, we'll one day manage to agree on a legislative basis,” a diplomat told EUROPE after the meeting.
Satisfaction at reaching agreement was, however, tempered by one or two criticisms. French MEP Hélène Flautre (Greens/EFA), who chairs the European Parliament human rights sub-committee, said that the European pact did not respond to all expectations, particularly on legal immigration. “This is just a bigger version of French policy, with no European added value,” she said in a press release. “Member states can agree on controlling borders and expelling people, but they still refuse to put in place an immigration policy that is really able to meet the challenge,” she complained, before calling for the necessary adjustments to be made to the pact before its is formally adopted. 18 human rights activists were arrested on Monday as they tried to unroll a banner denouncing “Bunker Europe” outside the building where the meeting was taking place. (B.C./transl.rt)