The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament, is drafting a new common position on immigration to be presented to EU leaders at their next summit in December in Brussels.

The announcement was made by EPP president Wilfred Martens while addressing a seminar on migration issues organised by the EPP group of the Committee of the Regions, in Madrid, Spain.

EU leaders are expected to adopt a new migration blueprint next December. The Commission, through Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, is having talks with all member states and other stakeholders in drafting the new policy. The blueprint will also include new measures of how the EU should fight illegal immigration, particularly with the pooling of resources of all its member states.

During the seminar, Mr Martens underlined the fact that legal immigration should be seen as an opportunity, as a possible solution for many challenges that Europe is facing. However, he warned that illegal migration, currently affecting the southern EU member states, should be fought.

"Illegal immigration attracts organised crime and provokes abuse and even loss of human lives, as has been dramatically the case in Spain, Malta, Italy and Greece."

The seminar also adopted a declaration, to be passed on to the EU, which recommends that "based on a principle of solidarity, emergency financial instruments be created for areas identified as centres of strongest migration influxes. The EU and the member states should also secure adequate financial means and reinforce specific programmes needed to integrate immigrants in the political and social life of the host country in the form of language training, cultural and civic training, and teaching programmes on European values".

Isidoro Gottardo, president of the EPP's group in the Committee of the Regions, said he believes the EU needs a more organised and coordinated European policy on migration and immigration, involving member states and cooperating with local and regional authorities. He called for the sharing of responsibilities and financial burdens to be an integral part of any European approach.

The meeting asked Mr Frattini to evaluate how to actively involve local and regional representatives in framing immigration policies, starting with the Tripoli Conference between the EU and the African Union scheduled to be held at the end of this month.