Economic migration in the EU - Commission presents a roadmap on Legal Migration
The European Commission adopted today a "Policy Plan on Legal Migration", jointly presented by Vice-President Franco Frattini, Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, and Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. This plan has been developed in order to comply with a request in the Hague Programme, the EU multi-annual work programme in the field of Justice, Freedom and Security. The Hague programme explicitly asked the Commission to present, before the end of 2005, "a policy plan on legal migration, including admission procedures capable of responding promptly to fluctuating demands for migrant labour in the labour market".
Vice-President Franco Frattini said: "I attach particular importance to this Policy Plan as it is the result of a long bottom-up, rather than top-down, process. We listened to all relevant stakeholders in the field, notably trade unions, employer's organisations, governments, European Parliament, NGOs and the European Economic and Social Committee, and we listened well. Their input enabled us as Commission to present our views on how to respond to the economic and demographic challenges ahead of us - and to the immigration pressures at our borders - by means of a comprehensive set of measures that should allow for a better management of the immigration phenomenon from all its different angles. I am strongly convinced that legal migration and integration are inseparable and should mutually reinforce each other".
Commissioner Vladimir Spidla added: "Immigration has always been both: an asset and a challenge. In order for Europe to truly benefit from immigration we have to manage legal migration in a coherent, predictable and efficient way. Immigration must benefit the European economy, the countries of origin and the individual migrants themselves. In this respect, sustained efforts to integrate the immigrants into the labour market and into broader society are equally important as clear but flexible rules for entry, stay or re-entry."
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