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1/24/07

Mail&Guardian online: Are African immigrants necessary for Europe? - by Julio Godoy

For the complete report in the Mail & Guardian Online click on this link

Are African immigrants necessary for Europe? - by Julio Godoy

According to official figures, 30 058 African refugees -- they have been called boat people like the Vietnamese refugees of the 1970s -- landed in the Canary Islands last year. That flow looks set to continue in 2007. That means, among other things, a growing challenge for the European Union.

In December, the heads of state and government of then 25 EU member countries agreed in Brussels to a new common immigration policy, to be developed by June this year. But many European leaders continue to oppose a common policy that could encourage legal immigration into the EU, and press instead for a tightening of border controls.

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