Brussels, 06/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 October, the European Commission is to adopt a new communication aiming to reinforce the "global approach to migration", launched in 2005, and considered as the fulcrum of the external action of the European migration policy. This communication, created for the purposes of continuity, proposes to base European action around three axes: continuing targeted thematic actions (legal migrations/mobility, illegal migration, migration/development), the implementation of cooperation adapted to the various regions of the world, and the development of a coherent policy to improve the management of migratory flows.
Building upon the global approach at thematic level. 1/Legal economic migration and mobility: the Commission proposes to make greater use of partnerships for mobility, such as the ones signed with Moldova and Cape Verde, to develop centres for information and the management of migration in third countries, to create instruments to promote a partnership between positions wanted and available. It recommends that circular migration be encouraged by means of the launch of pilot schemes and by seeking instruments to facilitate the mobility of brains, such as "double positions" (for healthcare professionals, teachers and researchers). The Commission also proposes looking into possibilities of granting legal immigrants priority rights of access to extend the duration of their stay in the EU, of looking into the transferability to third countries of social rights (pension) acquired and developing joint centres for handling visa requests. 2/Fight against illegal immigration: the Commission proposes obtaining and providing information on migratory routes to the EU, by using such instruments as an electronic mapping system. It plans to help third countries to reinforce their management of migration, by training border guards, exchanging operational information and cooperating with them in the framework of the European surveillance monitoring system (EUROSUR). Emphasis is also laid on the conclusion of readmission agreements between the EU and the countries of origin and of transit. 3/Migration and development: the Commission proposes to develop effective, safe and inexpensive means of transferring funds, to extend the impact on development by cooperating with the financial sector, by creating, in collaboration with the World Bank, an institute for sending funds to Africa. It proposes an examination of the relationship between climate change and migration, in order to improve estimates of the number of people affected by this phenomenon.
Geographically targeted cooperation. 1/The migratory routes of the South: the Commission proposes ensuring that EU-Africa cooperation is regularly evaluated, with an initial meeting to follow up from the Lisbon Summit in 2010. It hopes to promote cooperation between the Maghreb countries and the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, with the support of the EU, particularly by means of initiatives consisting of creating migration monitoring centres, providing information on illegal migration, promoting consular cooperation and managing border controls. In addition, greater use should be made of bilateral channels and cooperation structures such as ECOWAS, the Euromed process and the African Union. 2/Concerning the regions neighbouring the EU to the east and south-east, the Commission hopes to see greater synergy between the global approach and the other cooperation structures, particularly regarding Turkey and the Western Balkans. Care should also be taken to ensure that agreements existing on migration are fully applied. The Commission pleads also in favour of developing the cooperation platform with the Black Sea area and sending missions to the region to gather information on migration. 3/With the other regions, use should be made of the multilateral structures which exist between the EU and Asia, and of ASEM, in order to build upon dialogue on migration policy, carry out an exchange of best practice and examine possibilities for cooperation. The Commission proposes to extend the dialogue which exists with China on illegal migration to include all aspects relating to migration, to bring in dialogue with other countries of Asia, such as India, and for action to be taken further to the Lima declaration with the countries of South America.
A better-coordinated and more coherent global approach. The Commission proposes to "integrate and coordinate the question of migration with other fields of action, including development, foreign policy, security, trade, the environment, agriculture, employment, education, health, research and social affairs, and to promote early consultation of the interested parties, both internally and externally; but also to reinforce regular interaction between the various ministries of the Member States, in order to guarantee the implementation of the global approach". Better governance of migration cannot exist without the effective use of financial aid, says the Commission, which proposes setting in place coordination mechanisms, or pooling the resources of the Member States, the Community and third countries, in order to respond to the priorities of the global approach. It also recommends the evaluation of Community financial instruments. The European Council of December 2008 will provide guidelines on how the proposals put forward in this communication can be implemented. (B.C./trans.fl)