WRITTEN QUESTION E-2578/01 by Mario Borghezio (TDI) to the Council. Immigration from Morocco.
Date: 2001-09-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU migration policy, Morocco, Spain, action programme, illegal migration, migration control

C 81 E/178

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

cannot provide. The attempt frequently results in death by drowning. Spanish newspaper headlines amply
illustrate the scale of the tragedy. 16 July: (cid:145)Nine deaths amongst the 333 immigrants who risk their lives
on the Straits of Gibraltar(cid:146); 19 July: (cid:145)At least 1561 illegal immigrants intercepted in the Straits this month,
at a rate of 87 a day (cid:129) 146 immigrants intercepted on the coast only yesterday(cid:146); 1 August:
(cid:145)Search
continues for vessels adrift with 30 passengers, 800 immigrants try to enter Ceuta(cid:146); 9 August: (cid:145)11 of 30
occupants of a drifting boat unaccounted for(cid:146); 19 August: (cid:145)567 immigrants detained in the greatest wave of
(cid:147)pateras(cid:148) in history (cid:129) body of African without papers recovered from sea at Formentera(cid:146); 20 August: (cid:145)The
flood of (cid:147)pateras(cid:148) causes reception centre breakdown (cid:129) over 800 immigrants detained in weekend search
of Straits and off Canaries(cid:146); 20 August: (cid:145)Over 10 000 immigrants arrested this year in Andalucia, Canaries
(cid:145)Another four
and Ceuta(cid:146); 22 August:
immigrants die in Straits(cid:146); 24 August: (cid:145)Nine immigrants drown at Forteventura(cid:146); 25 August: (cid:145)Three (cid:147)pateras(cid:148)
intercepted, with 77 immigrants, in Granada and Malaga(cid:146).

(cid:145)Immigrant(cid:146)s body found at Forteventura in Canaries(cid:146); 23 August:

The facts of the situation demonstrate that however much the Spanish and EU institutions bury their head
in the sand so as not to see the problem, it remains a fundamental European problem, and a strategy for
tackling it is required. Immediate measures are called for to prevent the tragedies suffered by thousands of
Africans on the southern Spanish coast, and the frontier with Africa. Over and above fine words born of a
desire to get out of the impasse, what political actions is the Council intending to take to solve this serious
humanitarian problem?

(2002/C 81 E/210)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2578/01

by Mario Borghezio (TDI) to the Council

(27 September 2001)

Subject: Immigration from Morocco

The Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has complained (Le Figaro 6.9.2001) that (cid:145)illegal
immigrants are coming from the Moroccan coastline. That is where action needs to be taken(cid:146).

Illegal immigration networks which enable immigrants to travel via Gibraltar to Spain, and from there to
other parts of Europe, are the same networks which smuggle in hashish, with the collusion of Moroccan
customs officers. The Moroccan authorities themselves complain that they do not have the means to
control illegal immigration flows.

What urgent preventive measures does the Council intend to take with respect to this dangerous situation,
which is becoming worse every year owing to the Moroccan Government(cid:146)s inability (which the
government itself has acknowledged) to control the flow of illegal immigrants to Europe?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2458/01 and E-2578/01

(6 December 2001)

The Council has already replied several times to questions from members of the European Parliament
concerning the disappearance of immigrants trying to reach the Union via the Straits of Gibraltar.

Far from burying its head in the sand, the Council, which deplores this continuing human drama, has
entered into active dialogue with the Moroccan authorities on migration issues. The Council would point
to the existence, since the end of 1998, of a High-Level Working Group on Asylum and Migration, set up
to draft action plans for the countries and regions of origin of illegal immigrants and/or asylum seekers, in
accordance with an integrated, cross-pillar approach. These action plans aim to analyse the root causes of
migration from selected countries, of which Morocco, as a country of origin and transit of immigrants, is
one. Contacts have been made with the Moroccan authorities with a view to establishing a partnership to
implement the measures in the action plan.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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That partnership is taking shape under the Association Agreement between the Community and Morocco,
with a Working Party on Social Affairs and Migration having been set up in April 2001. The Working
Party met for the first time in June 2001. Although the Moroccan authorities voiced certain criticisms of
the action plan, they declared themselves ready to work with the Union bodies to devise a programme of
joint measures to combat illegal immigration through or from Morocco.

At a meeting on migration issues in July 2001 it was agreed to give priority to socio-economic measures
(for micro-businesses/SMEs), training measures, measures concerning legal migration to the Union and
measures to combat illegal immigration networks, including migration via sub-Saharan Africa. Work on
identifying projects to be implemented will continue in the autumn of 2001.

(2002/C 81 E/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2461/01

by Camilo Nogueira RomÆn (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(11 September 2001)

Subject: Megalomaniac expansion of central airports by the Member States, and the issue of sustainable

development in the EU

Given the megalomaniacal tendency of the Member States to expand both their central airports and their
flag-carrying airlines (cid:129) a trend which even includes deliberate centralisation of economic power, as Spain
is doing with Madrid (cid:129) what
the sustainable
development approach and programmes to which the Union has officially committed itself?

is the Commission(cid:146)s strategic position,

in view of

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(19 October 2001)

Decisions on expansion of airport capacity fall mainly within the competence of Member States.
Expanding capacity at certain hub airports is one possible answer to the demand for more airport capacity.
Such projects are subject to the obligations of Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985, on the
assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (1) as amended by
Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 (2) which makes sure that the authorities in the Member
States integrate environmental considerations into the planning and realisation of new airport capacity.

In the recently issued White Paper (cid:145)European transport policy for 2010: time to decide(cid:146) (3), the Commission
identifies scarcity of airport capacity as one of the main problems for air transport in Europe. The White
Paper advocates a balanced strategy, which has to rely not only on the construction of new infrastructure
but also on a better use of existing capacity as well as on the promotion of air-rail intermodality.

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(2) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.
(3) COM(2001) 370 final.