Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-11-Speech-2-032"
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"en.20030211.2.2-032"2
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". – Madam President, I wish to begin by thanking the rapporteur, Mrs Terrón i Cusí, and all those who have contributed to this very positive report which we are considering today.
By way of the proposed directive, we put forward a framework which, once approved, will lead Member States to be open and transparent about their immigration policies. This is very much a step forward. Nowadays, Member States do not know what each other's immigration policy really is. Many of the national immigration policies have in the past been simply conducted by stealth. What the public knows is that those who come in illegally, end up having their situation legalised by Member States in one way or another.
Our proposal is a first step aimed at ending such a pattern. Immigrants must be able to come in legally and be given work permits and a set of rights, if there are jobs - and we are increasingly aware that there are - that cannot be filled by the domestic job market. In this respect, it must be pointed out that such rights do not cover the right to stay unemployed in the European Union. The proposal further helps to streamline cumbersome procedures and to bring about clarity and legal security.
However, as we clearly stated in our communication on migration policy of November 2000
to decide by directive the number of immigrants that our economies and societies are prepared to absorb. The proposed directive leaves that decision to the Member States who, together with their civil societies and, above all, their local and regional authorities, know how many they are capable of integrating.
I therefore emphasise that, as I have always said, this proposal does not allow one single entry of one single immigrant into the labour market of the European Union. The Commission is certainly not creating a subjective right to immigration. Its aim is simply to harmonise the procedure for admission and it believes such harmonisation is necessary. We simply want Member States to inform each other and the Commission of what is happening so that everybody can learn from each other's experience and find out what the added value of European responses might be. All the more so as we mostly live in a border-free area where decisions affect our neighbours. The European Union must primarily mobilise its existing human resources, including migrant workers currently residing legally in the European Union.
More must be done on training, bringing older people and women into the labour market. In this respect, the proposal gives a clear preference to the domestic labour market. There is, therefore, no incompatibility between the fight against unemployment and the proposal. Our unemployed have four weeks in which to show up and take jobs free from the competition of foreign workers. However, given that our unemployed are not always willing or capable, the effect of an ageing population and the related skills gap means that restricting legal migration risks jeopardising our economic health. As I have said before, even if Member States were to face labour market shortages, they would be free to cap the total number of migrants they are ready to admit, if they consider, for instance, that their society is already facing too much of an integration burden.
Immigration numbers are one of our citizens' priorities, and one of the areas where they clearly expect us to tackle the problem at European level. I hope that this debate and its impact on the Council will allow us to move forward."@en1
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