Spaans voorzitterschap erg trots op resultaten integratie migranten (en)
The Spanish Secretary of State for Immigration and Emigration, Anna Terrón, appeared on Wednesday before the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) to give the Spanish Presidency's assessment on the subject of immigration.
Terrón expressed satisfaction at the progress made in assessing the development of the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum, which was approved two years ago. She pointed out that the preparation of an annual report on progress in this area is fundamental for increasing transparency and drawing up objectives for the following year.
The Secretary of State went on to state the need for “starting to work more decisively” on a common immigration policy, coordination in the field of social integration and the strengthening the operational capacity of Frontex. The latter “has proved to be a useful instrument which has considerably reduced the entry of illegal immigrants”.
She also highlighted the regulation establishing the European Asylum Support Office, which was signed in May by the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, underlining the need to place immigration at the centre of dialogue with third countries.
With regard to the common policy on the subject of immigration, the Spanish Presidency has “tried to move forward” on the directive on a single permit for legal immigrants, a matter on which Spain will continue to work, with the Belgian Presidency in order to secure its approval.
The Secretary pointed out the importance of the approval, at last week's Council of Ministers in Luxembourg, of the Action Plan for unaccompanied minors arriving illegally in the EU. The plan contains 32 specific measures to set common standards, establishing that action will always be taken, “in accordance with the child's best interests” and that analysis will be on a “case-by-case” basis.
Terrón went on to say that the Spanish Presidency feels “especially proud” of the progress on immigrant integration that was achieved during the April meeting of ministers in Zaragoza. The Secretary of State pointed out that in the Treaty of Lisbon, “there is a legal basis for integration becoming the object of European policies”.
The "Zaragoza Declaration", which Terrón claims consolidates the work of previous councils of ministers, highlights the need for “the inclusion of human capital, in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy, involvement in neighbourhoods with a high density of immigrants and risk of social exclusion, and the development of indicators for measuring progress in each country”.
Meer over...