THE EUROPEAN PACT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM

26/09/2008: The European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, launched by the French EU Presidency, seeks to achieve an active political commitment on the part of the EU and the Member States concerning common principles for the formulation of migration policies in a spirit of solidarity and responsibility. In this connection, Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou MEP asked the Council the following question:

"What binding agreements with countries situated on the EU's borders, and in particular applicant countries, concerning transit immigrants from third countries does the Council intend to propose with a view to making Europe an area of security, justice and freedom?".

In his answer, J-P Jouyet, representative of the French Presidency, said: "The most effective tools we have to fight against illegal immigration, are the Readmission Agreements with third countries, which are in the vicinity of the European Union". Such agreements involve reciprocal undertakings by the European Union and the third-country partners to co-operate over the return of illegal residents to their country of origin or transit.
He also said: "The Community managed to conclude agreements with 11 third countries. This is the case with the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia (FYR-Macedonia), whose agreement came into effect on 1 January 2008. With regards to Turkey, the negotiations started officially in 2005. As far as Croatia is concerned, there is no mandate to carry out negotiations for a readmission agreement and the Council wished, in the case of this country, a fast progress in the ongoing negotiations. The pact which will be discussed and, we hope, approved by the European Council on October 15, will stress the political importance of the Readmission Agreements within the framework of the fight against illegal immigration."

European solidarity expressed in the framework of a common migration policy wishes to create the basis for not only safe and fair mobility, but also fair competition.

URGENT NEED FOR COMMON EUROPEAN LEGISLATION ON ILLEGAL MIGRATION

14/11/2007: Recognising that among the illegal migrants entering the EU, there is a percentage of minors whose future living conditions and education on European soil is neither guaranteed nor based on common standards, Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou MEP asked the Vice-President of the European Commission the following question: "In the framework of the future strategy for the rights of the child, is it possible to plan a common European policy which will ensure decent living conditions and education to illegal minor immigrants who come to Europe, based on the obligation of the Member States to respect their international commitments?".

Responding to the MEP during the Strasbourg Plenary, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Franco Frattini, admitted that there is no legal base in the Treaties for the protection of the rights of women and children who enter the EU illegaly. The Commissioner underlined that all Member States have signed international treaties which provide for minimum common guidelines for the protection of all immigrants. According to the European Charter for Human Rights, European countries are bound to provide them with medical care and living resources. "Children however, because they are considered as illegals, have no possibility to attend school and are thus deprived of all the opportunities for a good start in life", admitted Commissioner Frattini and stressed that the Convention for the Rights of the Child imposes on host countries the obligation to take into account, in their decisions, the best interest of the child.

The Commissioner further referred to two pending Directive proposals, and in particular the one that deals with the return of migrants. This Directive foresees that when the Member States have obligations based on international human rights such as the right to education or the right to family reunification, then they shall not issue orders of expulsion. The second pending Directive refers to sanctions on employers who employ illegal immigrants in the EU. "Illegal labour affecting vulnerable social groups should be considered as the most serious offence and receive adequate sanctions", replied Commissioner Frattini to the second intervention of Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, who pointed out the difficulties in the implementation of international obligations since neighbouring countries, through which illegal immigrants enter the EU, do not comply with their obligations. As far as the treatment of minors is concerned, the MEP noted that the problem gets complicated when children become involved in an illegal working relation and mentioned the case of a 14 year-old trafficker who was arrested in Chios.

For further information:
Tel: +32-2-2847447, Fax: +32-2-2849447
E-mail: marie.panayotopoulos-cassiotou@europarl.europa.eu

THE GENDER DIMENSION OF LEGAL MIGRATION

26/09/2007: On the occasion of the discussions during the EP plenary session on the Gruber Report on 'the policy plan on legal migration', Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou MEP underlined the necessity for a global approach of legal migration policies which need to include two-way measures, the strengthening of the acceptance of migrants by national residents as well as measures to support the social integration of migrants.

The integration process of migrants in the host country is particularly facilitated by migrant women and their families, whose reunification should be facilitated and spouses should benefit from an independent legal status.

A number of measures should be adopted to support migrant women:

• Respect of human rights and women's rights and the sensitisation to the dangers of trafficking and exploitation
• Fight against gender discrimination in the countries of origin and against harmful traditional practices such as mutilation, forced marriages, polygamy, crimes of honour and violence against women and children.
• Recognition of formal and informal qualifications so that women migrants do not become victims of exploitation, participation of young migrant girls to education, strengthening of professional qualifications and language aptitudes, especially for mothers
• Exploitation of EC financial mechanisms (European Social Fund, DAPHNE, PROGRESS as well as the new programmes for the solidarity and management of migrant flows) for migrant families and women
• Support of the role of NGOs for the development of dialogue and counselling
• Strengthening of information on employment opportunities for migrant women through the EURES Network

Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou underlined in particular the need to develop economic and social conditions which will enable the return of migrants and members of their families as well as the effective use of their knowledge in their homeland.

Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou finally stated that "an active European policy for the development of third countries and the conclusion of partnership and migrant flow control agreements will benefit both the demographic problem of Europe and the future prosperity of third countries."

For further information:
Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou
Tel: +32-2-2847447, Fax: +32-2-2849447
E-mail: marie.panayotopoulos-cassiotou@europarl.europa.eu

IMMIGRATION AND POVERTY: THE IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION ON FAMILY AND CHILDREN

14/12/2006: The Intergroup on "Family and Protection of Childhood" in the European Parliament, chaired by Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou (EPP-ED, GR), organised this Wednesday 13 December, a joint meeting with the "Fourth World Committee" Intergroup presided over by Mr Mendez de Vigo (EPP-ED, ES), on the topic of immigration. The meeting attracted the participation of a great number of MEPs, representatives of the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the UNHCR and NGOs

The discussions addressed more specifically the link between immigration and poverty as well as the impact of immigration on family and children. NGO Caritas presented its third report on poverty in Europe which reveals that third country nationals, who represent around 20 million people in the EU, are usually in a less favourable position than EU nationals when it comes to employment, education, training, health, housing and participation in public life. The prevalence of atypical work contracts (part-time, temporary contracts or undeclared labour) for migrants tends to expose them to discrimination and exploitation, thus increasing the risk of social exclusion, marginalisation and poverty. PICUM (Platform for International Cooperation also presented its activities in various European countries for the improvement of living conditions of illegal migrants and ensuring respect of their rights.

Mrs Agnès Hubert, representative of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers of the European Commission (BEPA), indicated that the improvement of the public attitude towards migrants is an essential condition for the promotion of their economic and social integration and a better use of their potential. She underlined that the development of new possibilities for legal migration, family reunification, the reduction of illegal labour and support for youth are fundamental components of this approach. She also mentioned that the role of migrant women, who represent 54% of migrants in the EU, should be further promoted in national migration policies and their economic, social and cultural integration supported. An improved integration of migrant women contributes to a better integration of their children, thus giving them a good impetus for their full participation in society both as contributors and beneficiaries

Mrs Tax from the UNHCR mentioned the increase in child migration, including that of unaccompanied minors, as well as the fragile situation of these children. She insisted on the necessity for States to adopt, at all stages of migration procedures, measures protecting the child's best interests. These measures include the fight against trafficking and exploitation, the suppression of detention centres for minor migrants and their replacement by structures more appropriate to childhood, the appointment of a legal guardian for unaccompanied minors and the establishment of child-sensitive asylum procedures. The development of statistics on child migrants is also fundamental for the formulation of more targeted policies.

Underlining that the integration of children implies their access to education, Mr Attuil from the Cabinet of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe pointed out the bureaucratic difficulties in this field, in particular for undocumented minor migrants. He mentioned that specialised school programs for the integration of migrant children could be adopted in order to enable them to pursue a normal education and prevent the phenomenon of early school-leavers which is on the constant increase.

In the framework of a common European approach on immigration, the two Chairpersons, Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou and Mr Mendez de Vigo, expressed their satisfaction regarding the fruitful dialogue that followed the presentation of the various topics relating to poverty, family and children.

PUBLICATION OF A REPORT ON MIGRATION AND POVERTY

21/06/2006: Speech by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou MEP at a conference organised by Caritas Europe on the occasion of the publication of a report on migration and poverty.

Greek MEP, Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou, participated at a conference on Monday 19 June organised in Brussels by Caritas Europe on the occasion of the publication of its 3rd report on poverty in Europe entitled "Migration: a journey into poverty."

The conference, which gathered together Caritas representatives from various European countries, journalists, the European Commission and the Council of Europe, addressed the different economic and social problems faced by immigrants in Europe and debated on Caritas' proposals towards the improvement of their situation. These proposals include: the opening of channels for legal labour immigration, the implementation of policies for social inclusion of immigrants and the fight against discrimination, the strengthening of education policies as a tool for poverty reduction, the participation of immigrants in public life and the sensitisation of the public to the advantages of an open immigration policy.

In her speech, Mrs Panayotopoulos recalled that immigrants' unemployment rates are much higher than those of the nationals and indicated that women are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion and poverty because of the double discrimination - gender and ethnic origin - which they face. In addition, she underlined that in general, third country nationals have reduced possibilities for professional development and mobility since most of the time they are involved in dangerous professional activities with scarce possibilities for lifelong learning.

The MEP also recalled the various initiatives which have been taken at EU level in the field of social exclusion and the fight against poverty, including the commitments formulated at the Nice European Council, as well as the measures which have been adopted in favour of migrant workers. Within this framework, she mentioned the Commission's Communication of 2003 on immigration, integration and employment, the Green Book of 2005 on the management of economic migration and the new European fund for the integration of third country nationals. Among the measures proposed to improve the situation of immigrants, one can find the improvement of competences including language skills, access to housing and social services, active participation in social, cultural and political life, strengthening of the capacity of national organisms to respond to migrants' needs. Finally, the MEP recalled the importance of the Progress Programme and the European Social Fund for the economic, cultural and social integration of immigrants.

On closing her speech, Mrs Panayotopoulos underlined that the successful integration of immigrants, which is a necessary condition for the social cohesion and economic efficiency of Member States, depended on the mobilisation and coordination of a wide range of policies, which would take into account immigrants' needs, and a multitude of actors at different levels.