Saturday, Jun 22, 2002
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NO TWO OPINIONS?: The European Commission President, Romano Prodi (left), with the French President, Jacques Chirac (centre), and the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose-Maria Aznar, in Sevilla, Spain, on Friday.
Also up for discussion was the problematic issue of funding the European Union's ambitious eastward expansion. Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Britain do not want the E.U.'s programme of subsidies extended to farmers in 10 nations scheduled to enter the E.U. in 2004. The summit opened against the backdrop of heightened security: Spanish army and air force units were on high alert and police isolated the summit site, a sprawling convention complex in this southern Spanish city. The leaders' meeting also comes a day after a general strike in Spain by labour unions protesting cuts in unemployment benefits. About 70 people were detained for damaging property and trying to keep people from reporting for work. The Government said the disruption was minimal. E.U. efforts to stem the tide of illegal immigration comes amid rising support in several E.U. nations for right-wing, anti-immigration politicians. An estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants enter the E.U. every year, in addition to almost 400,000 asylum seekers. The Spanish Prime Minister, Mr. Jose-Maria Aznar, has said E.U. leaders must send a clear message to citizens that fighting the flow of illegal immigration was a priority. ``We will be tough on illegal immigration and the trafficking of human beings it so often entails because this is a crime and an affront to human rights,'' he said in a letter to his E.U. counterparts. Spain, Britain and Italy want tough policies on illegal immigration. ``Populists and extremists gain a purchase on the political system when the moderate politicians ... fail to get a grip on the issues,'' the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said on Thursday. Among the proposals being considered are boosting border patrols, improving cooperation among countries on visas and sending help to Italy, Spain and Greece. The three southern European nations are on the front line of an influx of illegal immigrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Africa, West Asia and the Balkans.Other proposals call for sharing the costs of border controls and using naval ships and planes to track and intercept boats carrying illegal aliens. Even before the summit, there was disagreement on a plan to threaten sanctions against poor nations that do not cooperate with the E.U. on immigration issues. Sweden and France argue sanctions will only worsen the poverty that forces people to head for Europe. The two countries suggest the E.U. offer incentives to poor countries, rather than punishment, to help poorer countries control immigration. Organisations helping political refugees and illegal immigrants are leery about the E.U. drive for a tough immigration policy. — AP
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