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WORLD> Europe
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Europe agrees to support common immigration pact
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-08 23:48 The project, according to its critics, borrows heavily from the so-called "selective" immigration, which is dear to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and puts an end to massive and collective regularization of illegal workers decried by French authorities. Henceforth, this will have to be conducted on a case-by-case basis as was the case for some 900,000 illegal immigrants, who were given citizenship by Spain in 2007, a move that caused uproar across Europe, said a Spanish diplomat. "We are talking about selective and concerted immigration, which takes into account the needs of countries and their capacity, based on dialogue with the countries of origin," said Hortefeux. The text focuses on work-oriented immigration, regulates family immigration and the advances the fight against illegal immigration by reinforcing border controls and facilitating the return, forceful or voluntary, of those who will have managed to slip through. The Spanish authorities have either successfully pushed for the amendment or deletion of several points that they contested, notably the integration contract and conditions it imposed on would-be immigrants, such as learning the language of the host country, according to reliable sources. "The language issue has transformed from a requirement for immigrants to an obligation for states," which will now be forced to help immigrants to learn the language and facilitate the integration, said the Spanish minister. Nevertheless, if the ministers and the governments they represent are in agreement on the need for the pact, civil society organizations across Europe, and particularly in France, are up in arms against its provisions and consequences. On Monday, a group of 18 activists mainly drawn from organizations defending human rights were arrested while trying to put up a banner denouncing the establishment of "Bunker Europe" at the Palais des Festivals, the place where the meeting was being held. A team from a Belgium-based public television channel, Deutsche Welle, which was filming the event, was on the other hand questioned briefly before being advised by the French to "head back to Belgium." When questioned over the incident during the press briefing, the French immigration minister declined to make any comment, but his German counterpart promised that he would "investigate the matter and do whatever is necessary." |
