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Tuesday, 14 December 2010 - Strasbourg OJ edition

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Text tabled : A7-0265/2010

  Marit Paulsen, Olle Schmidt and Cecilia Wikström (ALDE), in writing. (SV) Legal immigration into EU Member States is important for economic development. The immigration of workers can increase competition and vitality and, in light of the demographic challenges that the EU is facing with an ageing population, it is important to adopt a flexible immigration policy. We therefore welcome the Commission’s proposal, which seeks to introduce a single application procedure for third-country nationals applying for work and residence permits. This should simplify the complex administrative formalities involved in the reception of migrants. It should also make it possible for the labour markets in our Member States to react to current and future labour requirements and provide a tool for combating the exploitation of, and discrimination against, these workers.

However, we are opposed to the amendments tabled concerning additional documents, which would make the proposal contradictory and pointless. Having a single application procedure and one document becomes meaningless if all of the Member States can issue and demand additional documents. The amendment stating that the Member States may issue a document to supplement the residence permit, which may be updated or withdrawn when the person’s labour market situation changes, was voted through. As we were dissatisfied with the text and would have preferred the proposal to go to a second reading before it was adopted, we voted for the inclusion of correlation tables, against the wishes of the Council. These were not voted through, either, and when we found ourselves in a situation where a positive vote for the report would mean adoption at first reading with a content that we believed undermined the whole proposal for a single document instead of several within the EU, we chose to vote against the proposal.

 
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