Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-07-Speech-4-238"
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"en.20020207.14.4-238"2
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"Mr President, the free movement of people, goods and services – one of the cornerstones of the internal market – is in various ways at stake in this matter. The free movement of people, but also of goods, should not lead to the unverifiable movement of asylum seekers as a result of open borders. Untenable situations have arisen at the Eurotunnel caused by stowaways on trains. As a consequence of this, restrictions have been in place for three months now, as a result of which the volume of goods by rail through the tunnel has at least halved. This loss of turnover causes disproportionate damage to the Channel Tunnel operator, who is not even certain that the sanctions for stowaways are now in place.
The discussion on the White Paper on transport policy is in full swing. Despite all the differences of opinion, almost everyone involved is agreed that the growth in the transport of goods must not unilaterally end up on the roads. Rail, in addition to water, is a sound alternative. The restricted use of the Eurotunnel has forced many companies to transport goods by road for the time being. There is a fear that, once again, the reputation of rail transport will incur lasting damage. In order for transport capacity to recover, the underlying problem has to be solved. This is not the place to discuss the problem and tragedy of illegal immigrants in Europe. However, the asylum policies of the two countries on either side of the Eurotunnel is undeniably responsible for the drastic decline in the transport of goods by rail though the tunnel.
The United Kingdom has to contend with the dubious reputation of pursuing a flexible immigration policy and of hardly fighting illegal employment. Whether this is an accurate description or not, the British government fails at any rate to discourage refugees. On the other hand, French asylum policy can be referred to as being two-faced. The large stream of refugees via France is not stopped until they reach the Eurotunnel and are held at the camp near Sangatte. This amounts to a concentration of hundreds of desperate people only 3 km away from the Eurotunnel, the gateway to England, their country of destination. Locked up in a camp within walking distance of the gate to the other side. Surely this is tantamount to leaving the fox to watch the geese!
Asylum seekers deserve our sympathy, for they too are ultimately the victims of ambiguous rules, random implementation and inadequate inspection. It is high time that the French authorities detained the asylum seekers in France, for example near an international airport, from where, upon being refused admittance, they can return to their own countries.
The sad images from Frethun require both the Commission and the Council to do everything in their power, not only to remove this impediment, but also to tackle the cause. They must not be allowed to shirk their responsibilities while the market for the transport of goods is being disrupted in this way."@en1
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