Raad Justitie en Binnelandse Zaken - Jostmeier geeft Duitse minister van Binnenlandse Zaken Schäuble de aanbeveling ter ontwikkeling van een gemeenschappelijk Europees integratiebeleid (en)
Immediately before the meeting of EU home affairs ministers on Thursday afternoon in the Council building in Brussels, the Committee of the Regions rapporteur, Werner Jostmeier (DE/EPP), today gave German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble the Committee of the Regions' (CoR) recommendations for a common immigration policy in Europe.
The paper, which had been adopted by the CoR the previous day, advocates "stepping up the campaign against illegal immigration and zero tolerance of human trafficking". At the same time, European local and regional authorities want to see easier migration for highly skilled workers where there are labour shortages, and more investment in the education and language skills of legal migrants.
Wolfgang Schäuble said: "We need regions and cities as partners in EU immigration policy if we are to achieve tangible results. Dialogue with the Committee of the Regions is therefore important to us. We will take its recommendations into consideration in our debates in the Council."
Before the CoR opinion was handed over to Schäuble, Commission President José Manuel Barroso had spoken to the CoR plenary about Jostmeier's opinion. He assured the CoR that he would work to ensure that municipalities and regions would in future have direct access to the European Integration Fund, which has been provided with EUR 825 million for the next five years. In addition, Barroso would like to involve regions and municipalities more closely in measures relating to migration policy, as called for by Jostmeier.
After his meeting with Schäuble, the CoR rapporteur and chairman of the North Rhine-Westphalia Landtag's Executive Committee, Werner Jostmeier, said: "Europe's regions and towns are getting stronger all the time. The Committee of the Regions is also being increasingly listened to. Europe needs regions and towns if it is to achieve its objectives. It seems that this is now recognised not only by the European Commission, but also by the Council of Ministers."
You can find the CoR's press release on its recommendations here.
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