European Union nations gave their backing Monday to a French-drafted pact calling for tightening immigration and asylum rules across the 27-nation bloc.
Justice and interior ministers from the member nations signed off on an eight-page declaration that would bind their governments to step up negotiations on a common immigration policy — and complete an effort that has been under way for nearly two decades.
Presented by French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux, the plan would commit EU nations to coordinating policies and setting common standards for the treatment of migrants by 2012. "The pact represents progress," Hortefeux said, adding that it would officially be signed by the bloc's national leaders in October.
The plan sets five goals for attracting highly skilled workers while managing or expelling unwanted, illegal and mostly poor migrants. Some elements, including language integration and a ban on mass amnesties for illegal residents, were watered down after several EU states raised concerns the pact was too heavy handed.
The pact appears to rehash several existing proposals that have been deadlocked for years in the EU, including establishing high-tech border checks and a European corps of border guards to help at weaker frontier points. ... |