Towards a Common EU Immigration Policy
Immigration is an international phenomenon that affects all Member States of the European Union. EU Heads of State have recognized that a common approach is necessary to mange migration and they have decided to harmonize national legislation on immigration to regulate migration flows in line with the needs of the economy and the ability of the EU to absorb and integrate new immigrants.
The integration of third-country nationals in EU Member States is one of the greatest challenges facing the common immigration policy and a key element in promoting economic and social cohesion within the EU. In view of the projected decline in the working-age population of the EU after 2010, increased migratory flows will be needed to meet the future needs of the EU labor market. The European Commission’s first annual report on migration and integration in Europe, presented in July 2004, states that improved access to the labor market, better language skills and education will be essential conditions for the successful integration of migrants. The EU has taken several actions to promote the integration of migrants into their host societies, including the exchange of information and good practice on integration through the National Contact Points for integration, the revision of employment guidelines calling for better integration of immigrants in the job market and the harmonization of the collection of data and statistics on immigration. The EU has also put in place a legal framework to combat discrimination, racism and xenophobia, which can seriously impede the integration process. The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) in Vienna provides the EU with objective, reliable and comparable information and data on racism, xenophobia, islamophobia and anti-Semitism at the European level in order to help the EU and its Member States to establish measures or formulate courses of action against racism and xenophobia.
Furthermore, intercultural dialogue is an important dimension in many EU policy areas including immigration. intercultural dialogue is an important instrument for citizens and all those living in the European Union to manage the increasingly open, diverse and complex societies and galvanize them. The Commission has proposed to declare 2008 the “European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.”
Key EU Links:
- Directorate General for Freedom, Justice and Security:
- EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) [Formerly European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)]
- EU Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban
- FRONTEX - EU Border Security Agency
- European Asylum Support Office, February 18, 2009
- EU Focus: The EU and Immigration: Opportunities and Challenges (en español)
- EU Insight: The EU & the Fight Against Human Trafficking
- EU Common Immigration & Asylum Policy Progress; Common EU Immigration Policy; Q&A; EU Asylum Q&A, June 17, 2008
- European Migration Policy Center, March 11, 2008
- 2008: European Year of Intercultural Dialogue; Official Launch; Arts Festivals; Website; EU Opinion Poll; Campaign; EU Insight: The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue — Together in Diversity
- EU Border Management System; Details; FRONTEX; FRONTEX website; European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR); Schengen, February 13, 2008
- Communication From The Commission To The Council, The European Parliament, The European Economic And Social Committee - First Annual Report on Migration and Integration, COM (2004) 508
- "Islam in Europe – From Dialogue to Action": Speech by EU External Relations/European Neighborhood Policy Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, Conference of European Imams, April 7, 2006
EU Member State Links:
To find out more about the EU Member States’ integration policies, please visit:
|
