The Hindu : Consensus on immigration eludes E.U.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 26, 2002

International

International

Consensus on immigration eludes E.U.

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS JUNE 25. The European Union's quest to evolve a uniform immigration policy for its 15 member states has failed despite much rhetoric and political shadow boxing at the leaders' summit in Spain.

Spain and Britain, with the covert blessings of Germany and Italy, took a tough line on the immigration policy.

This verged on a jingoist approach, with the first two proposing "economic sanctions" against Third World countries that fail to contain the flow of illegal immigrants, arguing that economic sanctions would fail to serve the purpose.

The French President, Jacques Chirac, won the day by suggesting a "carrot over stick" approach.

He said: "It is not by brandishing the sword that we should resolve the problems surrounding illegal immigration'', and added that the more prosperous E.U. members should increase economic aid to countries from where immigrants originate, creating incentives for them to stay in their own countries.

The leaders agreed to co-ordinate efforts on the immigration policy by 2003, despite widespread misgivings that a pan-European policy may impinge on member nations' sovereignty.

There is also much confusion over the number of asylum seekers arriving in the E.U. every year.

The current estimates vary between half a million to a million, but according to figures compiled by the E.U.'s statistics office, the net immigration rate in 2000 did not exceed two per 1,000 population.

According to current estimates, 500,000 illegal immigrants enter the 15 countries annually in addition to almost 400,000 "asylum seekers'' but the net flow of immigration has been declining.

The more liberal intellectuals have argued that the anti-immigration hysteria is taking Europe down dangerous roads with Governments "making a mess'' of the immigration policy.

It is argued that popular opinion and media hype have turned the term "economic migrants'' into one of abuse, unlike in the U.S. where the same "economic migrants" brought that country its economic clout. On the demographic front, the European continent is fast ageing and the situation is compounded low birth and high divorce rates.

The leaders also pledged to keep the E.U.'s expansion project on track. With the relaxation of passport controls within the E.U., it becomes more important to police the borders.

The summit was overshadowed at times by a general strike and three days of mass demonstrations by anti-globalisation protestors.

The leaders also discussed reform of the common agricultural policy and agreed to elect a president of the European Council for a five-year term.

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