Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-27-Speech-3-070"
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"en.20060927.3.3-070"2
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"Mr President, Mr Rajamäki, ever since the Tampere Summit in 1999, it has been clear that the Union needs a common approach to the problem of migration, and to economic migration in particular. As a result of the increasing flood of immigrants and the alarming pictures from the Canary Islands, we have now become more aware than ever of the need for a common European migration policy to deal effectively with this problem.
Immigration should not be perceived simply as a threat, however. Europe is clearly experiencing a demographic crisis. Well-managed migration could be the answer to the negative consequences of an ageing population. I would remind the House that, in view of the current rate of migration, it is anticipated that there will be about 20 million fewer people employed in the Union in the period 2010-2030. The leading regions of the world have long been competing with each other to attract suitably qualified immigrants, and the Union must not remain on the sidelines.
The lack of a common migration policy actually increases the likelihood of immigrants circumventing national regulations. We have seen how individual countries have responded to such practices by undertake mass measures to legalise the status of illegal immigrants, as the Socialist government recently decided to do in Spain. Moves of this kind are not the solution to the problem. In fact, they aggravate it because they act as an incentive for middlemen involved in smuggling more groups of immigrants into Europe.
I venture to take this opportunity to disagree with the opinion expressed by Mr Rajamäki at the start of this debate concerning the positive impact of development policy on reducing the influx of immigrants, notably those from Africa. I do not believe it is useful to think along those lines, Mr Rajamäki. I accept the need to strengthen development policy, but am inclined to support Commissioner Frattini’s approach, namely to deal firmly with illegal immigrants and give priority to common management of economic migration. I would also like to call for the work on the draft directive on admission to be speeded up, along with the work on the directive regulating procedures for returning immigrants to their countries of origin."@en1
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