European Parliament resolution on the EU common immigration policy
Date: 2006-09-28
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU migration policy, fundamental rights, immigration, integration of migrants, migration control, right of asylum

C 306 E/394

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

15.12.2006

Thursday 28 September 2006

4.
Calls on the GNSS Supervisory Authority to deliver semi-annual progress reports to Parliament, with
special regard to progress in tasks to be imposed upon the GNSS Supervisory Authority from 1 January
2007 by the proposed regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1321/2004;

Calls on the GNSS Supervisory Authority to grant the expert nominated by the European Parliament

5.
permanent observer status, in accordance with Article 5(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1321/2004;

6.
Acknowledges the forthcoming regulation of the Public Regulated Service, which would account for
approximately 30 % of the project income, similarly to the Green Paper on applications; calls on the Com-
mission to complete the missing regulations necessary for enabling applications in various areas, so that
SMEs will be given sufficient time to prepare for participation;

Calls on the Commission, considering the Community character of the project, to ensure that Parlia-

7.
ment is informed before the signing of any contract of institutional participation with third countries;

8.

Calls on the Council to ensure that no further delay in this project occurs;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments

9.
and parliaments of the Member States.

P6_TA(2006)0386

EU common immigration policy

European Parliament resolution on the EU common immigration policy

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 63 of the Treaty Establishing

the European Community,

— having regard to Article 42 of the EU Treaty,

— having regard to the 1999 Tampere programme and the 2004 Hague programme on the Area of Free-

dom Security and Justice,

— having regard to the JHA Council meeting held in Tampere on 20-22 September 2006,

— having regard to the ongoing discussions on the Financial Framework, including the European Refugee

Fund and the European Return Fund,

— having regard to its resolution of 6 April 2006 on the situation with refugee camps in Malta (1),

— having regard to its resolution of 14 April 2005 on Lampedusa (2),

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas seven years after the adoption of the Tampere programme, the European Union does not have

a coherent immigration policy, and in particular lacks a legal migration and return policy,

B. whereas the Common European Asylum System is based on a set of rules from which no participating

Member State should have derogations,

C. having regard to the humanitarian emergency in several Member States situated on the EU's southern
external borders, where thousands of migrants have died in the Mediterranean Sea, and the massive
influx of immigrants in particular during summer 2006,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0136.
(2) OJ C 33 E, 9.2.2006, p. 598.

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D. whereas the Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development held in Rabat on 10

and 11 July 2006 adopted a declaration and action plan,

Thursday 28 September 2006

E. whereas the mid-term review of the Hague Programme will be completed by the end of this year,

F. whereas illegal immigration can lead to human exploitation and forced labour,

G. whereas the Commission's Green Paper on an EU approach to managing economic migration
(COM(2004)0811) predicts that ‘between 2010 and 2030, at current immigration flows, the decline in
the EU-25's working age population will entail a fall
in the number of employed people of some
20 million’ and that ‘more sustained immigration flows could increasingly be required to meet the
needs of the EU labour market and ensure Europe's prosperity’,

Stresses that increased migration is a global phenomenon with numerous causes and effects and needs

1.
a balanced, global and coherent approach;

Is aware that, in the absence of channels for legal migration, asylum systems have come under increas-

2.
ing pressure as a means to legal settlement;

3.
Recognises the human drama and difficulties confronted by a number of Member States in managing
the very large migration flows of the last few years; notes, in particular, the problems caused by the worry-
ingly large number of minors among recent arrivals;

4.

Deplores the very substantial humanitarian costs, including the lost lives of immigrants;

Firmly believes that Member States must respect their obligations under Community and international

5.
law as regards asylum seekers and migrants;

Considers that the European Union is no place for using people for forced labour and that Member

6.
States therefore need to ensure that such practices do not exist;

7.
Insists that Member States ensure access to the asylum procedure and apply the provisions of Directive
2003/9/EC (1) in a coherent and consistent manner, and that asylum claims be processed speedily and
efficiently;

Stresses that any comprehensive approach to immigration cannot ignore the ‘push factors’ that lead
8.
people to leave their countries in the first place, owing to which there is a need for real possibilities for legal
migration towards the European Union and clear plans for development and investment in the countries of
origin and transit, including trade and agricultural policies that promote economic opportunities, not least
with a view to avoiding a massive brain drain;

9.
Recalls that a coherent European immigration policy must be accompanied by an integration policy
providing for, among other things, proper integration into the labour market, the right to education and
training, access to social and health-care services and participation by immigrants in social, cultural and
political life;

10.
Reiterates that any decision on loosening 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 stated in the Parliament's position of 6 July 2006 on the proposal for a
Council decision on the establishment of a mutual information procedure concerning Member States' mea-
sures in the areas of asylum and immigration (2);

(1) OJ L 31, 6.2.2003, p. 18.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0313.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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15.12.2006

Thursday 28 September 2006

11.
Calls for a partnership approach with the countries of origin and transit to ensure that they play an
active part in helping to manage the migration flows, stem illegal immigration and set up effective informa-
tion campaigns on the conditions in the recipient countries of the EU including the criteria for obtaining
asylum;

Believes that the sharing of responsibilities and financial burdens between Member States must be an

12.
integral part of EU immigration policy and the Common European Asylum System;

Calls for a greater role for the European Union in the management of humanitarian emergencies

13.
linked to migratory flows and asylum seekers;

Believes, therefore, that countries should be given access to the technical assistance and funding
14.
provided 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;

Calls for more funding to be made available to NGOs working on the ground, providing critical

15.
emergency assistance;

16.
Believes that massive immigration is a result of failing economies, impoverishment of the population,
human rights violations, environment degradation, the widening gap between rich and poor countries, civil
war, wars for control of natural resources, political persecutions, political instability, corruption and dictator-
ships in many of the countries of origin;

Calls on the Commission to propose, as soon as possible, the creation of an emergency fund to
17.
finance ‘expert support teams’ to provide practical assistance for reception at borders and tackle humanitar-
ian crises in the Member States, and to incorporate in the new funds for the period 2007-2013 an emer-
gency mechanism allowing financial assistance to be provided in emergency situations;

18.
Urges that the Member States establish access to the asylum application procedure, apply the provi-
sions of Directive 2005/85/EC (1) in a consistent and rigorous manner and ensure that asylum applications
are processed swiftly and efficiently;

19.
Recognises the need to adopt an equitable EU return directive, and calls on the Council to increase its
efforts to ensure its adoption; notes at the same time the failure of the Council, seven years on from the
Tampere European Council and despite numerous requests from Parliament, to define a common immigra-
tion policy, instead maintaining unanimity and the consultation procedure for all matters regarding legal
immigration;

Urges the Member States to step up cooperation within the framework of Frontex and to better

20.
define its mission;

Believes, however, that border checks and action to combat illegal

21.
immigration can be only one
aspect of the EU's policy towards third countries, to which an active country of origin and transit develop-
ment policy must be applied with a view to minimising the damaging effects of emigration;

22.
Realises that, in the absence of an EU common immigration policy, Member States have different
approaches to the problem of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants working illegally and without
any social protection; believes, however, that regularising illegal immigrants en masse is not a solution in the
long term, since such a measure does not resolve the real underlying problems;

23.
Stresses that any measures to combat illegal immigration and step up external border controls, even
where in cooperation with third countries, must be compatible with the safeguards and the fundamental
rights of the individual laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, notably the right to
asylum and the right of non-refoulement;

(1) OJ L 326, 13.12.2005, p. 13.

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24. Warns against the dangers of externalising the management of the EU's external borders and hopes
for better cooperation with countries of origin and transit countries founded above all on respect for funda-
mental rights, particularly the rights of asylum and of non-refoulement, and on the shared interests of the
EU and of countries of origin and transit countries;

25.
Considers that the European Union should take a cross-cutting approach; believes that its immigra-
tion policy should not only encompass partnership with third countries, the securing of external borders to
combat human trafficking and an equitable return policy, but at the same time open up channels for legal
immigration, encourage the integration of migrants into the host society and allow co-development of
countries of origin in order to deal with the underlying causes of migration;

26.
Urges the Commission to take the initiative as soon as possible with a view to revising Regulation
(EC) No 343/2003 (1), ‘Dublin II’, by calling into question its very principle, namely that the Member State
responsible for dealing with an asylum application is the first country that applicants reach, which puts an
intolerable burden on the countries situated in the south and the east of the EU, and by introducing a fair
mechanism for sharing responsibilities among the Member States;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the govern-

27.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) OJ L 50, 25.2.2003, p. 1.

P6_TA(2006)0387

The situation in Darfur

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Darfur

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Sudan and Darfur in particular,

— having regard to relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and in particular UN Security Council

Resolution 1706 of 31 August 2006,

— having regard to the African Union (AU) decision of April 2004 to establish the African Mission in

Sudan (AMIS),

— having regard to the Global Day for Darfur, 17 September 2006,

— having regard to the Darfur Peace Agreement signed in Abuja, Nigeria, on 5 May 2006,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Darfur region conflict between government forces, pro-government militias and rebels has
led to over 200 000 casualties and over 2 million internally displaced persons and refugees over the
past three years, despite the signing of a Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) on 5 May 2006,

B. whereas the DPA remains the basis for stability, peace and reconciliation in Darfur, despite the state-

ment by UN Special Representative Jan Pronk that the Agreement ‘is nearly dead’,

C. whereas, according to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland, the humanitarian and security
situation in Darfur is at its worst since 2004 and humanitarian access continues to deteriorate, to the
extent that some areas of Darfur are now complete no-go zones for humanitarian workers, which
means that thousands of Darfur people have no access to aid,