Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-14-Speech-3-361"
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"en.20010214.12.3-361"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today the issue of immigration crosses all areas in our European societies, from the situation of legal immigrants to that of illegal immigrants, from the right of asylum to the right of freedom of movement, from socio-economic and cultural rights to political rights.
In the majority of EU States, figures on the granting of refugee status and traditional immigration channels are falling systematically. On the other hand, the figures for overall immigration have remained stable in recent years, proving that restrictive policies on immigration and visas have succeeded only in increasing the number of illegal immigrants. On a daily basis, men, women and children die in the attempt to enter illegally into a Europe which has become a real Fortress. For the most part they fall victim to smugglers and traffickers. Unfortunately, their ordeal continues once they have entered European States as, without regular papers, they can be freely exploited and forced to suffer intolerable living conditions. We should point out that some legal immigrants have been made illegal by restrictive legislation. Some of these have been living in Europe for over twenty years. They can no longer be expelled, nor can their situation be regularised. What means is available to them to earn a living and support their families?
The solutions laid down in the proposed initiatives replicate these repressive measures and grounds for exclusion. They give rise to tragedies such as those in Dover, Gibraltar or the situation of those immigrants without regular papers in Spain, Belgium and France who are on hunger strike in order to obtain recognition. Who is really responsible?
Not only do these proposals not meet these requirements, but they even go so far as to challenge the right of asylum or the right of family reunion. While it is clear that we must staunchly fight the organised networks trafficking in human beings, it is unjust to condemn natural or legal persons who, in good faith, assist asylum seekers fleeing conflict, famine and the horrors caused by economic and democratic deficits. These initiatives, therefore, lump all categories together in an inadmissible and dangerous fashion.
While the proposed amendments limit some of the damage, we reject the initiatives and would vehemently urge the authors to go back to the drawing board. It is only possible to combat illegal immigration within the framework of an overall Community policy that is clear and that respects the dignity of human beings based on genuine respect for fundamental rights and based on a new North-South relationship. Finally we would point out that the best weapon to combat discrimination and human exploitation is to acknowledge rights and thus to regularise their status."@en1
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