MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
25.9.2006
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Ewa Klamt and Patrick Gaubert
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on the common immigration policy
B6‑0507/2006
European Parliament resolution on the common immigration policy
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Article 6 of the EU Treaty and Article 63 of the EC Treaty,
– having regard to the 1999 Tampere and the 2004 Hague Programmes on the Area of Freedom Security and Justice,
– having regard to the JHA Council meeting in Tampere on 20-22 September 2006,
– having regard to its resolution on the situation with refugee camps in Malta of 6 April 2006 (P6_TA(2006)0136),
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the mid-term review of the Hague Programme will be completed by the end of this year,
B. whereas the number of immigrants seeking to enter the EU in an irregular manner has increased exponentially over the last two years, to the detriment of the safety and health of irregular immigrants and of public policy in EU Member States,
1. Firmly believes that EU Member States must respect their obligations under international law as regards asylum seekers and illegal immigrants;
2. Recognises the difficulties encountered by a number of EU Member States, notably Malta, Italy and Spain, in managing the very large migration flows of recent years; notes particularly the problems caused by the worryingly large number of minors among recent arrivals;
3. Believes that not only is the mass regularisation of illegal immigrants not a solution but that it also in fact exacerbates the problem of illegal immigration since such measures have clearly been shown to act as a 'pull-factor';
4. Reiterates that any decisions on relaxing rules on immigration in one Member State has a knock-on effect on the situation faced by other Member States, and that Member States have the obligation in a spirit of loyal cooperation to consult and inform other Member States of measures likely to have an impact on the immigration situation, as was stated in the report adopted by the EP on the decision on the establishment of a mutual information procedure concerning Member States' measures in the areas of asylum and immigration;
5. Believes that any European strategy to address immigration should encompass the following four aspects: development of partnership in and with countries of origin, with special emphasis on the role of European delegations and embassies in countries of origin; securing external borders and the fight against human trafficking; a robust return policy; integration of migrants into the host society;
6. Stresses the need to speed up the development of appropriate instruments, such as the Visa Information System (VIS);
7. Believes that the sharing of responsibilities and financial burdens between Member States must be an integral part of any European approach;
8. Believes, therefore, that countries should be given access to the technical assistance and funding provided for under the ARGO programme, the European Refugee Fund, the European External Borders Fund, the European Integration Fund and the European Return Fund for the period 2007-2013;
9. Urges the Member States to establish access to the asylum application procedure and apply the provisions of the Directive on minimum standards for granting and withdrawing refugee status in a consistent and rigorous manner, and to ensure that asylum applications are processed swiftly and efficiently; believes it is important to adopt a minimum common list of safe countries of origin;
10. Recognises the pressing need to adopt the EU return directive, and calls on the Council to increase its efforts to ensure a swift adoption;
11. Calls on Member States to make more resources available to Frontex, in order to allow it to increase the scope and effectiveness of the missions undertaken;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.