Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-02-Speech-2-053"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20011002.3.2-053"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, when a Community competence in immigration and asylum was enshrined in the Treaty of Amsterdam it certainly raised hopes, chief among them that of seeing a policy on immigration and asylum founded on values associated with democratic freedoms and respect for human rights, especially fundamental rights. In this respect, we welcome the two Commission communications, which examine these complex issues in great depth. Thus, instead of ineffective, inappropriate immigration policies which make illegal immigration an inherent part of the system, they propose a flexible approach with provisions for managing flows and integrating third-country nationals.
It is regrettable that our rapporteur on immigration should have focused on exploiting the management of migratory flows for the economic and demographic ends of the countries in the Union, without showing concern for the human factor. To implement these proposals on an intergovernmental basis, as Mr Pirker wishes, would not only be a step backwards compared with the Treaty of Amsterdam; it would also show contempt for the need to make immigration and asylum policy a Community instrument and above all it would be a refusal to recognise what is really happening on the ground, which can be seen every day at Sangatte and elsewhere.
Furthermore, we urgently need to correct the misconception that, ‘immigration equals workers’. The notion of a ‘migrant worker’ does not actually take account of what really happens when people immigrate with members of their family, including students or retired people. Let us remember that the right to live as part of a family is a fundamental right which no country can deny. There is therefore a strong case in favour of talking about 'residents' and – why not – ‘European citizens’, assuming that they participate fully. It is the Member States’ duty to take the necessary measures to ensure that all European residents are fully integrated; they achieve this by making sure that everyone has the same rights, including political ones. As far as illegal immigrants are concerned, the only solution that we know of is for the Member States to be responsible for legalising their situation so as to combat all forms of crime, including that committed by traffickers and unscrupulous employers."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples