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Italy, Spain Urge Clear Immigration Position on EU Summit
Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and his Spanish counterpart Jose' Maria Aznar urged the ongoing European Council meeting in France to send a clear signal on the European Union's intention to tackle the immigration problem in a complete and coordinated way.
In a letter sent to French President Jacques Chirac, Amato and Aznar stressed the need to adopt measures which were not only aimed at stemming the flow of illegal immigration, but also adopted the concept of common Union borders and thus collective responsibility for their defense.
Italian news agency Ansa reported that the two government chiefs suggested that member states, not necessarily all at first, should actively cooperate in controlling borders with the final objective of creating a single police force.
Amato and Aznar also urged speeding up the application of measures governing the EU's common policy on asylum and immigration, adopted by EU leaders at a special summit in Tampere, Finland, in October 1999.
The four framework agreements hammered out at Tampere were: striking partnership agreements with immigrants' nations of origin; common asylum guidelines; the integration of immigrants; and controlling the influx of immigrants, also through combating illegal migration.
The Italian and Spanish government chiefs said that what they wanted now was a clear and open policy on migration which was backed up by measures to combat illegal migration and the organized crime organizations.
Italy and Spain, they recalled, have already struck important bilateral agreements on external border control and believe these could serve as a basis for common EU action against illegal and often inhumane migration.
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