Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-07-05-Speech-3-336"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060705.22.3-336"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I am convinced that the smooth integration of immigrants into Europe is a challenge tantamount to the successful enlargement of Europe. The over 40 million immigrants in the Union today are, in terms of population, a twenty-sixth Member State.
It stresses the importance of making provision for naturalisation rights for all long-term resident immigrants, especially for the children of immigrants born and raised among us. It proposes that the Member States appoint a minister with overall coordinating responsibility for integration and an immigration ombudsman.
Should the countries of the ΕU accept more immigrants and, if so, how and how many? We all know that this question is at the epicentre of a very broad public debate in numerous Member States. By contrast, the reply to the question of whether we should pursue the smooth integration of immigrants already living and working among us is self-evident.
They must become full members of our societies. Anything less would imply that we accept and prefer a society with first- and second-class citizens. Such a policy would undermine the social and economic fabric of our societies. In other words, it would be wrong and would benefit no one.
To close, I want to warmly thank all the political groups, shadow rapporteurs and coordinators, especially you Patrick
because I know how difficult it was for all of us to promote this report. I thank all of you for your important amendments in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs which made this report stronger and richer, especially you Jannine.
I know that it was not always easy for us all to find the final combinations, but we tried and succeeded on numerous counts. Thank you once again.
However, in contrast to policies for the smooth integration of candidate countries, the European Union has committed precious few officials or resources over recent years to the major challenge of immigrant integration.
The EU Council, to its credit, firmly stated its commitment to immigrant integration at Tampere in 1999 and reinforced its position at the summit in Thessaloniki under the Greek Presidency in 2003. Congratulations are also owing to the Commission and Franco Frattini in person, for the exceptional working paper on immigrant integration published a few months ago, with emphasis on the common basic principles of Groningen.
However, reality still by no means reflects the expectations created. Unfortunately, the Union has long been paralysed by the widely held view that integration is a local matter and that, consequently, Europe as a whole cannot help.
Integration initiatives are indeed implanted locally. Schools, businesses, places of worship and the other institutions of a local community do the hard work of bringing newcomers and natives together on a daily basis. Nonetheless, integration is pan-European in its implications, especially when it fails.
Thus, while local, regional, and national authorities should determine the precise integration measures implemented in each case, the Member States as a whole must pursue effective integration strategies whose outcomes advance the Union’s common interests. It is in monitoring and objectively evaluating these outcomes that EU institutions can and must become far more active and particularly effective.
My report stresses that immigrant integration implies both obligations and rights for immigrants and for the citizens of the Member States. Prime place among the report's proposals is held by the need for us to start consultations to end the political and social marginalisation of immigrants and encourage their social – and more importantly – their psychological integration, so that they do not feel condemned to marginalisation in advance.
The language of the host country and its ethics and customs and the workings of state institutions must be taught to all immigrants and, at the same time, the state must give them the possibility of free expression of their cultural identity and equal access to education, jobs, housing and so forth.
The report points out, among many other things, the importance of adopting positive action to integrate immigrants into the education and employment structures of the Member States and into the structures of the political parties in the Member States. It calls on the Member States to apply directly, fairly and without prohibitive restrictions existing directives on racism and xenophobia, on family reunification, on equal treatment in employment and on the status of long-term residents."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples