Brussels, 09/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - On 3 September, the French EU Presidency issued a new version of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum that will likely be that put to European leaders on 15 and 16 October. Several noteworthy changes have been made compared to the version presented in Cannes on 16 July, including a fall in the level of harmonisation of asylum procedures in the EU (EUROPE 9698 and 9699). Asylum policy. Still appearing in the document is the creation, in 2009, of a European support office on asylum matters whose aim is to facilitate cooperation between member states for processing asylum requests. Nonetheless, the support office will no longer aim at “harmonisation” but rather at “coherence of asylum procedures and practice” in member states. Also, when the new pact refers to the progress of setting up a common European asylum regime, it forgets to associate it to “harmonisation of asylum policies”, thus intimating that the convergence of national legislations is still optional. Among the positive points, the Commission is invited to submit proposals with a view to establishing a single asylum procedure, if possible in 2010 and at the latest by 2012. The 2010 target had been abolished in the earlier version and it reappears in the new text, in line with wishes expressed by the European Council in June (EUROPE 9687). With a view to the final creation of the common European asylum regime, the new text also reserves a larger place for dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR). Border controls. With the new pact, the future role of the European border agency (Frontex) is less ambitious. In time, the creation of a “European system of border guards” may be studied, it is written in the amended version, while the earlier text mentioned the creation of a “system of European border guards”, which, for some, hinted at the idea of a European uniform replacing that of the traditional national border guards. The southern states will not have made their voices heard in vain as the new text calls for the difficulties of member states subject to disproportionate migrant flows to be taken into account, and invites the Commission to put proposals forward. Legal immigration. It was agreed that the EU and freedom of movement should be made more attractive for highly qualified workers, students, and also researchers. A paragraph concerning the creation of instruments aimed at giving migrants information on the possibilities of legal immigration was added. This was also true concerning the need for member states to combat discrimination against migrants. (B.C./transl.jl)