Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-15-Speech-3-200"
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"en.20020515.9.3-200"2
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"I would like to say to Mrs Frahm that, naturally, it is true that there is tremendous pressure on the southern countries of the European Union. With regard to the country I know best, however, my own country, I can tell you that Spain is well able to control its southern borders and that, currently, its problem is not border control, but the fact that there are no readmission agreements between the European Union and most Sub-Saharan African countries. Therefore, as the Deputy Prime Minister said during the debate yesterday, the problem is not so much controlling immigration as saving the lives of immigrants who come over in dangerous vessels. Our real problem, moreover, is not arresting them, which is very easy; our problem is saving their lives, and once we have saved their lives, the next problem is that there is no way of sending them home, as there are no readmission agreements, nor do their countries want them. In this respect, the European Union could put great pressure on those countries that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement. That way, we could impose this obligation on them.
I would also, however, like to tell you for information purposes, Mrs Frahm, that the greatest flow of illegal immigrants received by Spain does not actually come from the south. The majority of illegal immigrants coming to Spain arrive easily, unchallenged, across the border between France and Spain and come from the Eastern European countries. These illegal immigrants cross the borders of Germany, Austria, Italy and all the other countries that have a border with the Eastern European countries perfectly easily. They cross the whole of Europe with ease and settle in Spain, and we have no means of controlling them. That is what really concerns us, because in Spain as in Italy, which has common borders with the rest of the European Union, we are receiving more illegal immigrants across our borders with our fellow Member States than through crossings from the south by sea."@en1
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