An EU migration policy

Franco Frattini, EU Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, delivered a speech recently in which he called for a consolidation and deepening of what the EU has achieved so far on immigration. He warned that EU citizens have high expectations of a well managed migration policy and they must not be disappointed.

International migration is growing in scope and complexity, and has a serious impact - both positive and negative - on the EU and its member states. The EU's comprehensive migration policy provides a coherent and efficient way of responding to the challenges and opportunities linked to migration.

Over the coming years the EU will need to further expand this comprehensive common migration policy, based on a continuation of the work carried out in the past seven years.

According to Frattini, the High-level Conference on Legal Migration, held in Lisbon last week, sent out a strong, clear signal that we can count on an emerging consensus in the EU that, to ensure future economic growth, a better managed migration policy is needed, which also encompasses channels for more legal migration.

Reports describing the Commission as advocating or planning the admission of up to 20 million immigrants over the coming years are utter nonsense. The Commissioner continued: "I have no intention of calling into question the jurisdiction of any EU member state, which is the sole authority determining the number of migrants admitted onto its territory.

"I know that the headline in the Financial Times has stirred up emotions in many European capitals. So I am here today to reassure politicians and the public at large that I have not changed my mind. The headline in the Financial Times served no other purpose than to create confusion."

On October 23 Frattini is to put forward the first two legislative proposals, a Directive on the basic socio-economic rights of all third-country workers and a Directive on the admission of highly qualified immigrants. In 2008, proposals for directives on seasonal workers, remunerated trainees and intra-corporate transferees will follow.

The aim of the proposed Directive on the admission of highly skilled migrants is to offer more attractive entry and residence conditions for highly skilled migrant workers to come to Europe. Given that labour market needs differ, the common system will combine a degree of harmonisation with clear flexibility.

The second proposal, the general Framework Directive on the basic socio-economic rights of all third-country workers, aims to simplify procedures for the admission of third-country workers by creating a single application procedure for a single work-residence permit.

It also aims to grant a common set of socio-economic rights to all third-country workers already admitted and legally working in a member state. Migrants are a crucial part of the EU's competitiveness strategy and their full potential can only be realised if they are given the opportunity to integrate into the host society and economy.

An effective migration policy cannot be limited to instruments for the admission and integration of immigrants. Frattini also emphasised the need to fight illegal immigration more effectively and with greater resolve.

One of the key priorities here is to step up the fight against one of the main pull factors for illegal immigration, namely the possibility of finding illegal employment in the EU.

In May, Frattini proposed a Directive on sanctions against employers of illegally employed third-country nationals. The EU member states expressly underlined the importance of this directive and the need to adopt it soon.

At the same time, the Commission continues to prioritise work on common standards and procedures for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals to their countries and the negotiation and conclusion of further Community readmission agreements.

Other important ongoing initiatives in this area include the establishment of the Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs); further strengthening of the Borders Agency, Frontex; and examining the set-up of a European Patrols Network and European surveillance system for the external borders.

Dialogue with third countries

Managing migration requires dialogue and close co-operation with third countries. The Global Approach to Migration, adopted by the European Council in 2005 and further developed in 2006, has proved to be an invaluable way of doing this.

Thus far, the Global Approach has focused on Africa and the Mediterranean, promoting dialogue with African countries and regional organisations on migration issues.

Ministers from the whole of the EU and the whole of Africa met in Tripoli (November 2006) at a conference on migration and development - the first time ever that the EU and Africa met to take a joint commitment towards working together on migration and development. Dialogue on migration has also been stepped up with the African Union.

Migration and development has been a key item on the agenda of this dialogue. It is now widely accepted that migration policy can be good for development policy and vice-versa. Policy efforts are now geared to harnessing the positive links and synergies between the two areas.

Dialogue has also been accompanied by concrete action. Many projects have been launched under the AENEAS programme and the European Development Fund. The recent initiative to set up a Migration Information and Management Centre in Mali is one example.

Implementation of the Global Approach also requires the creation of new instruments: 'Migration profiles' are designed as a tool to help pool all the information required to develop policy in the field of migration.

'Co-operation platforms' are currently being developed to promote coherence in policy implementation by bringing together migration and development stakeholders in a given country or region, including representatives of the country concerned, EU member states, the Commission and international organisations, such as the World Bank, UN agencies, the International Organisation for Migration and the International Labour Organisation.

'Mobility partnerships' seek to put together specific 'packages' that include items of relevance for both the EU and interested third countries. EU offers could include short-stay visa facilitation, facilitated access to the labour markets of certain member states and circular migration schemes.

In return, partner countries could pledge co-operation on fighting illegal migration, return and readmission. 'Circular migration' can also present new opportunities. If carefully constructed, this kind of migration can be good for the EU, by filling specific gaps in the labour markets, good for the country of origin, by way of individuals sending money home or returning with new skills, and, not least, good for the migrant.

Discussion on co-operation in the field of migration with the Mediterranean countries will begin in November. But the EU and Africa are currently drafting a Joint EU-Africa Strategy, which will be adopted at the next EU-Africa Summit to be held in Lisbon in December.

Migratory flows to the EU must safeguard the rights of people seeking asylum. The Hague Programme called on the Commission to submit the second-phase instruments of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) to the Council and the European Parliament with a view to their being adopted by the end of 2010.

Finally, an important step has been taken with the adoption of the new Solidarity Framework Programme, which covers borders, return, asylum and integration. For the first time Europe has given itself the funds it needs in this policy area.

Almost €4 billion have been allocated to this framework programme in the 2007-2013 financial perspectives. In addition, the European Commission recently launched a new programme for co-operation with third countries in the areas of migration and asylum with a budget of €380 million for 2007-2013.