Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-26-Speech-3-016"
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"en.20070926.2.3-016"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner Frattini, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, the question of immigration is a political issue of special significance because it often involves human drama. The Group of the European People’s Party and European Democrats is aware of the serious nature of this debate and our thoughts turn to the hundreds of lives lost because the victims dreamt of living in Europe. Respect for human life has to be at the forefront when we are drafting our immigration policy.
I would like to congratulate the rapporteurs for their work and Commissioner Frattini for the willingness and political determination he has shown. It is our duty to do everything we can to control the influx of migrants. The cohesion of our society, our capacity to receive immigrants and our determination to combat racism, intolerance and xenophobia are all at stake. In order to manage immigration it is vital to adopt an approach that is based on respect for human dignity, realism and a solid legal framework.
Ladies and gentlemen, when discussing the subject of immigration it is important to draw a distinction between asylum-seekers, temporary refugees and economic migrants, with the latter being by far the most numerous. Within this latter category we also have to distinguish between illegal immigration, which is the European Union’s responsibility, and legal immigration, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Member States.
We are in favour of strict measures where illegal immigration is concerned. Europe has to face up to its responsibilities and take on the scourge of the mafia gangs that are trading in human misery. We recognise that some progress has been made, such as the setting-up of the Frontex agency, the European External Borders Fund, and the creation of Rapid Border Intervention Teams to police border areas. However, this is all too little, for the manpower, material and financial resources deployed are still insufficient. We are now about to provide these instruments with the additional resources that are needed. Nevertheless, if we are to be more effective those Member States that act as guardians of our external borders have to operate using common standards. It is vital that we draw up a real Community protocol for the protection of our external borders, complete with a system of monitoring.
Our Member States are not all faced with the same problems when it comes to migratory flows. We need to be careful to distinguish between those states that act as guardians of our borders and the others. The task facing those to the south and east of the Union is enormous. Solidarity has to come into play here to maximum effect and technical, logistical and financial means have to be used to provide support to those front-line Member States that are faced with massive illegal immigration. While the fight against illegal immigration requires measures to be put in place at our external borders it also requires efforts to be mobilised within the European Union itself. Between 10 and 15 million people are currently residing illegally in our territory.
If the main guiding principle of our democracies is equality before the law, it is imperative that we adopt a policy that provides for persons who have entered the EU illegally to be systematically returned to their country of origin. The European Union must organise the return of illegal immigrants in a way that maintains the strictest respect for human rights and human dignity. We want Europe to remain a refuge for those who are fleeing persecution and for that reason we are opposed to the mass regularisation of illegal immigrants. Far from being a solution this will only give illegal migrants and those seeking to enter the EU the illusion that they will be given legal status sooner or later. Such amnesties would only perpetuate the activities of the criminal gangs that are engaged in illegal immigration and human trafficking. We very much welcome the Commission’s proposal to penalise employers who hire illegal migrants.
As regards the current situation with legal immigration, our Group believes that the commitment displayed by the country of origin to control illegal immigration should be made a condition for our negotiations with third countries. Of course the regulation of legal immigration is the responsibility of Member States, not the European Union. Nevertheless, if we are to improve efficiency and coherence in this area we need to coordinate our efforts more effectively at EU-27 level. We also need to explore the possibilities of introducing a common reception process that would enable highly qualified workers and those with certain specific skills to enter the European labour market. The proposal for a European ‘Blue Card’ should be developed and discussed further, along with the idea of a circular immigration project for unskilled workers.
Ladies and gentlemen, immigration is dependent on maintaining the right balance between a cohesive society that is strong and open to others, on the one hand, and respect for the rule of law, on the other. Far from closing our doors we want to ensure that prospective immigrants are welcomed and incorporated properly into our society, as happens in other regions of the world."@en1
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