w Article 1: “Towards a common migration policy for the European Union”. By the European Parliament.
w Article 2: “Migrations :
scenarios for the 21st century, Immigration, development and the labour
market”. By OECD.
w Article 3: “Uninvited
migrants need permission to come in”. By HIT.
w Article 4: “Refugee and
displaced persons”. By Human Right Watch.
II A
fortress Europe ?
- Polemics on the proposal to create transit centre outside Europe
w Article 5: “EU to study
transit sites in Libya for immigrants”. By HIT.
w Article 6: “EU approves
refugee camp pilot schemes”. By Deutsche Welle.
w Article 7: “EU looks to
Africa for Refugee solution”. By Deutsche Welle.
w Article 8: “Blunkett
backed on asylum centre”. By the Guardian.
- The public Opinion pressure
w Article 9: “Half the
people in the EU want to cut down on immigration – EU report.” By EU
business
III An
open Europe ?
- Economic point of view
w Article 10: “Europe : a
new immigration area ?” By EU business
- The international Law point of view
w Article 11: “UNHCR calls
for access transparency after Lampedusa deportation”. By United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees.
- Humanitarian point of view
w Article 12: “Libya
pressures Europe to stop flow of migrants”. By Helsingins anomat.
w Article 13:
« Exporting the “Pacific solution” By the New Matilda
w Article 14: “Thousand of
Refugees perish on European Union borders, Gibraltar”. By World Socialist
Web Site.
w Article 15: “The creation
of transit centre outside the European borders”. By the European Council.
Introduction
The European Union brings greater
possibilities to travel across the borders inside Europe, at the same time the
external borders of EU are getting stronger. How long can this paradoxical
situations stay?
The European Union had in 2000 a
population of 380 million and a labour force of 170 million. Fertility is below
replacement levels in all EU members’ nations, therefore, without immigration,
EU populations and labour force will shrink. Nevertheless, most Europeans don’t
want more immigration. EU nations are currently receiving 300 000 to 500 000
legal newcomers in year.
The hostility towards immigration is
reinforced in the context of enlargement of the EU, accepting 12 Eastern
European countries and probably Turkey.
The EU member nations have two
different polarities on how to manage the migration policy towards migrants
coming from outside the EU:
We are interested in this subject
who is a challenge because it concerns the future of a lot of people inside
Europe, outside and all the people who live between the two worlds.
In the context of our master:
Intercultural Management and Religious conflicts solving, the current choice of
the European Union will influence our area of work.
That’s why we have chosen this
subject and we will try to clarify the question by looking at it from different
sides.
-
Horizon of some important
decisions concerning immigration in European Union:
·
Article 1 « Towards a common migration policy for
the European Union » by the
International Organization for Migrations.
Link:http://www.iom.int/DOCUMENTS/PUBLICATION/EN/chap14p259_270.pdf
Source analysis
OM, the International Organization of Migration, is the leading
international organization for migration. It acts with it’s partners in the
international community to: Assist in meeting the growing operational
challenges of migration management, advance understanding of migration issues,
encourage social and economic development through migration and uphold the
human dignity and well-being of migrants. As a known and official organization,
it can be considered as a credible source.
Summary
The Contonou agreement, signed on 23 of June 2000,
aims at building a partnership between the EU and 77 countries situated in
Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, in order to reduce poverty by promoting
sustainable development, capacity building and integration into the World
economy. Management of migration is one of the priorities and a framework is
set up which includes respect of the rights of migrants, strategies to tackle
root-causes of massive migration flows and regulations to counter irregular
migration. As an integral part of the cooperation, EU is committed to support
the ACP’s efforts to reverse the brain drain.
At the Seville summit on 21 and 22 of June 2002, immigration was a major
topic, and the Heads of State and Government of the Fifteen adopted a common
agreement on ways to combat irregular immigration and set themselves a
timetable for implementing a common immigration and asylum policy. A timetable
was set, for adopting common provisions on family reunification before 2003,
and harmonizing asylum procedures before end 2003.
The Schengen agreement, creating a European free-movement zone without
controls at internal land, water and airport frontiers, was initially signed in
1985 by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and has been
extended to include every EU member state, except Ireland and the UK. The
Schengen agreement came into effect in 1995, abolishing the internal borders of
the signatory states and creating a single external border.
Lexicon
Résumé
L'Accord de Cotonou, signé le 23 juin 2000, vise à
construire un partenariat entre L'UE et 77 pays situés en Afrique, les Caraïbes
et le Pacifique, afin de réduire le pauvreté par promotion du développement
durable, de l’établissement des capacités et de l’intégration dans l'économie
mondiale. Le management de la migration est une des priorités et un cadre a été
dressé qui inclut le respect des droits des migrants, des stratégies pour
s'attaquer aux causes premières des flux massifs de la migration et des
régulations pour contrecarrer la migration irrégulière. Comme une partie
intégrale de la coopération, l'UE s’est engagé pour soutenir les efforts d'ACP
de retourner la fuite des cerveaux.
Au sommet de Séville le 21 et 22 juin 2002, l'immigration a
été un thème majeur, et les chefs d'Etats et les gouvernements des quinze ont
adopté un accord commun concernant les moyens pour combattre l'immigration
irrégulière et établir un emploi du temps pour implementer une politique de l'immigration
et de l'asile commune. Ils ont décidé d'adopter des provisions communes
concernant la réunification familiale avant 2003, et d'harmoniser les
procédures d'asile avant fin 2003.
L'accord Schengen, créant un zone européen de libre
mouvement sans des contrôles sur la terre intérieure, l'eau et les frontières
des aéroports, était initialement signé en 1985 par la Belgique, la France,
l'Allemagne, le Luxembourg et les Pays-bas, et a été étendu à inclure tous les
Etats membres, à l'exception de l'Irlande et le Royaume-Uni. L'Accord Schengen
est entré en vigueur en 1995, supprimant les frontières intérieures des Etats
signataires et créant une frontière extérieure.
·
Article
2: « Migrations: scenarios for the 21st century, Immigration, development and
the labour market ». By
OECD
Link: http://www1.oecd.org/media/visco_romejuly00.pdf
Source analysis
This paper about “immigration,
development and the labour market” represents one reflection in a July 12,
2000, conference in Rome. This international conference was untitled:
“migration: scenario for the 21st century”
Ignazio
Visco is the chief economist and head of the Economics department of the OECD.
He relies on an extensive reference on this aspects of migration which emphasis
the many and complex forces that operate in the host and the source countries.
Summary
This article presents the recent trends in
international migration in the OECD area, and underlines two important challenges
that face a number of OECD countries.
The first is the international mobility of highly
qualified workers and the second the integration of immigrants and foreigners
into the labour market. While OECD countries share a number of common concerns
in the area of international migration, particularly with respect to management
of migration flows, the « migration landscape » of OECD is sharply
contrasted since countries are at different stages of their migration history.
Recently, however, a generalised increase in the recruitment of foreign workers
has been noted. This can be explained in part by demographic ageing, but also
by persistent labour shortages.
The authors show that, while immigration plays a
preponderant role in the demographic dynamics of several OECD countries, it can
make only a limited contribution to alleviate labour shortages, even where
selective employment-oriented policies are in place.
They also show that, despite improvements in the
integration of foreigners into the labour market during the latest phase of
economic expansion, several categories of foreign workers, especially women,
young people and the least skilled, remain highly vulnerable to unemployment
and underemployment.
Lexicon
Résumé
Cet article
présente les tendances récentes concernant les migrations internationales dans
la zone OCDE au travers de deux grands défis. Le premier est la mobilité des
travailleurs hautement qualifiés et le second est l’intégration des immigrants
sur le marché du travail.
Il est
démontré que malgré le rôle prépondérant de l’immigration dans les dynamiques
démographiques des pays de l’OCDE, elle ne permet pas de combler les
insuffisances de main d’œuvre même si des politiques sélectives d’orientation
pour l’emploi sont mises en place.
De ce fait, de
nombreux travailleurs étrangers, particulièrement les femmes, sont touchés par
le chômage et les emplois précaires.
·
Article 3 : “Uninvited Migrants Need Permission
to Come In”. By Herald
International Tribune
Link: http://coranet.radicalparty.org/pressreview/print_right.php?func=detail&par=415
Source
analysis
The International Herald Tribune is the world's daily newspaper, edited and printed in Paris, he
is one of the better international newspaper for opinion leaders and decision
makers around the world. In an era of information overload, those who both make
and track decisions on the global level depend upon the IHT as the most
complete, credible and concise daily newspaper in the world. He is
designed to bring to light information, and knowledge that is otherwise not
reaching the general public.
Summary
Changes in migration – more qualified migrants, reiterated migration –
are a challenge for immigration and integration policies as well as for the
social actors of the receiving countries. All EU-15 countries are now receiving
countries, but this is a new situation for several of them, and in the other
national policies have different histories.
Intra-European mobility of migrants is increasing, but
it remains devoid of citizenship rights for third-country nationals. Their
legal vulnerability has consequences for the operation of the labour market.
Such mobility is a test for national states concerned about their sovereignty.
A logical tendency would be towards the definition and effective implementation
of a common EU immigration policy. Movement in this direction has started, but
it is a complex process. The result of the to and fro between European
Commission activism and member states’ efforts to preserve their prerogatives
remains uncertain.
This article addresses the major changes in migration
policies and the integration issues they raise. After briefly alluding to the
transnational networks of migrants, and especially to primarily labour-oriented
migration within the European space, the lack of laws to regulate immigration
will be considered. An analysis will also be provided of migration policies
relating to the legalisation of illegal aliens, as well as of the
characteristics and labour-market incorporation of various migrant groups and
the prospects for migration flows. Migrants create interdependence between
their country of origin and of residence, as shown by the movements of persons
and the financial and economic flows that accompany them. Migration issues are
thus multiple for UE, at the level of policies and of economic and demographic
dynamics. A study of the modes of integration of migrant populations thus
offers an opportunity to reflect both on the reconciliation of immigration and
citizenship and on the challenge that it represents for social Europe.
Lexicon
Résumé
Les changements
qui affectent les mouvements migratoires – des migrants plus qualifiés, des
migrations répétées – représentent un défi pour les politiques d’immigration et
d’intégration, ainsi que pour les acteurs sociaux des pays hôtes. Tous les pays
de l’Union européenne à quinze sont désormais des pays d’accueil. La mobilité
intra-européenne des migrants augmente. Mais c’est une mobilité sans véritables
droits de citoyenneté pour les migrants d’origine extracommunautaire. Leur
vulnérabilité juridique a des conséquences pour le fonctionnement des marchés
du travail. Cette mobilité est une épreuve pour des États nationaux soucieux de
leur souveraineté. Une évolution logique serait la définition et la mise en
œuvre effective d’une politique commune d’immigration de l’Union. Le mouvement
vers une telle politique est engagé, mais c’est un processus complexe. Cet
article s’intéresse aux changements majeurs intervenus dans les politiques
migratoires et aux enjeux d’intégration qu’ils posent
- The definitions of the international law
concerning the Asylum right :
·
Article 4 « Refugees and Displaced Persons”
By HRW (Human Right Watch)
Link: http://www.hrw.org/worldreport99/special/refugees.html
Source Analysis
This article comes from the official site of Human
Right Watch. Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the
human rights of people around the world.
It is supposed to “stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination,
to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in
wartime, and to bring offenders to justice.
Human Right Watch investigates and exposes human rights violations and hold
abusers accountable.
Human Right Watch challenges governments and those who hold power to end
abusive practices and respect international human rights law.
HRW enlists the public and the international community to support the cause of
human rights for all”.
Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported
by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts
no government funds, directly or indirectly, their reports are recognised by
all the serious authorities.
Summary
This article is a call from the non-governmental
organisation named Human Right Watch to the United Nations Organisations and to
all the national governments to enable the refugees right to be respected.
It explains clearly the notion of refugee and focuses on the State’s
duty to help the refugee, who is a person that had been forced to come out of
its country to escape persecution. In conformity to the human rights the
refugee should be protected and welcomed in the country they choose to seek
Asylum.
According to HRW, the refugee’s situation has become worthier the last
decades as the industrialised states have regressed in the application of the
international law. A lot of abuses are made, from the deny of social or
economic right to the refoulement of the refugee to its original state, without
thinking of the threat this person will face in its country.
HRW denounce firmly these abuses by describing the law categories. The
work that is made by HRW to struggle against the causes of immigration cannot
allow the state to be discharged to their responsibilities.
Lexicon
Résumé
Cet article
est un appel de l’organisation non gouvernementale « Human right
Watch » à l’organisation des Nations Unies et à tous les gouvernements
nationaux, afin que le droit des réfugiés soit respecté.
Il explique clairement la notion de
réfugié et rappelle le devoir des États envers cette personne, forcé de
s’exiler pour échapper à des persécutions. Les réfugiés doivent être protégés
et accueillis dans les pays dans lesquels ils demandent l’asile conformément au
droit international, l’asile faisant partie des droits imprescriptibles de
l’Homme.
Selon HRW la situation des réfugiés
s’est dégradée de manière très inquiétante dans les pays développés qui ne
voient plus dans les migrants qu’une charge économique et un problème
politique. Des abus nombreux allant du déni de droit économique ou social au
refoulement sont enregistrés dans les pays riches. HRW dénonce ces abus en
rappelant clairement et fermement les catégories du droit et les enjeux de ce
problème. Œuvrer contre les causes d’immigration (c’est ce que fait HRW) est
important mais ne dispense pas du devoir de protection et d’accueil des États.
- Polemics on the proposal to create transit centre outside
Europe
·
Article 5 : Eu to study transit sites in Libya
for immigrants by International Herald Tribune
Link: www.hit.com/articles/540250.html
Source analysis
See the previous article
by the IHT
Summary
Detention camps for foreigners are nothing new in
Europe. But today, the projects for externalising the camps outside Europe, the
degradation of asylum policies which become what immigration policies have
always been, tools for police control and migratory utilitarianism, all this
make camps a major tool for these policies, European as well as national, and a
place for migrants struggles and resistance.
The new phenomenon of reiterated
migration within the European area is also highlighted. A strong dissymmetry of
EU countries’ relative positions with respect to migration emerges: some are
traditional receiving countries and implement selective opening policies while
new immigration countries operate as transit countries for young and highly
qualified migrants from the developing countries. Their denominations, their
history, their typology differ from one country to another, but they have
common functions. There is thus a renewal of migration within the European space,
as well as greater complexity, given the growth in reiterated migration of
third-country nationals.
The question of transit camps in
Libya provokes a lot of controversies in the European immigration debate. Italy
and Germany want to set up the transit camps in North Africa for the Asylum
Seekers whereas the other countries consider this proposal inefficient.
According to them it could lead to “sealing off Europe” to asylum seekers.
These projects have taken a new upward turn during the summer of 2004, and even
if they are not immediately implemented represent a capital turning point, a
qualitative leap in European projects.
Europe launches its Pacific Solution, camps already
existing in Libya and North Africa become legitimate, and EU borders extend beyond
the Mediterranean. Camps become more and more a filter for illegal work and the
mainspring of control policies, but also a critical space for migrants
struggles.
Résumé
Le phénomène
nouveau des migrations répétées dans l’espace européen est mis en évidence. Il
apparaît une forte asymétrie des positions relatives des pays européens en
termes d’immigration : certains sont des pays d’accueil traditionnels et mènent
des politiques d’ouverture sélective tandis que les nouveaux pays d’immigration
servent de pays relais pour des migrants diplômés et jeunes des pays en
développement.
L’été 2004 a
été l’occasion de relancer le débat concernant la lutte contre l'immigration
clandestine. La Libye constitue une porte d'entrée pour les réfugiés d'Afrique
qui espèrent passer en Europe, via l'Italie qui a vu durant tout l'été des
milliers de réfugiés affluer. L’Italie fait donc pression sur l'Union toute
entière. Des mesures contre l'immigration clandestine sont discutées comme
l'installation encore controversée de camps de transit permettant à l'Union
européenne de se décharger en partie sur la Libye de la gestion des flux
migratoires.
·
article 6:
« EU approves refugee camp pilot schemes »
Link : http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1344830,00.html
Source Analysis
This article comes from the site of Deutsche Welle, which is a
well-recognised radio and TV in Germany. After 50 years of existence Deutsche
Welle developed in to one of the worlds most important international
broadcasters, it inform now in several languages.
Summary
The European union has accepted, after some debates, to set up pilot
schemes in five North-African states : Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia
and Libya. These pilot schemes are aimed to support these countries in the
creation of an Asylum status and to help them to proceed to the asylum
applications. The condition of the project is the signature and the respect by
the north-African countries of the Geneva Convention.
That project, established with the UNHCR, which already works about such
initiatives in some others countries shouldn’t be confused with the other
proposition of a European body aimed to centralise and to proceed, outside
Europe, to all the asylum demands in European members states. At the moment the
asylum could be asked only in the country that have such a centre. This second
proposition hasn’t been accepted because the divergences were too strong
between the members.
Therefore the European Union keeps an open mind regarding such projects
but gives it’s conditions :
-
Clarity on how judicial review will be handled
-
Plans for the resettlement of failed
asylum demands
-
A work should be initiated to
promote a common EU Asylum system.
But this long-term policy doesn’t give any answer to the humanitarian
crisis taking place in the Mediterranean sea. Nothing changes for these boat
people, some are brought to Europe when others are sent back to refugees camps
in Africa.
Résumé
L’Union européenne a accepté, après
débat, de mettre en place des plans pilotes dans 5 pays d’Afrique du Nord afin
de les aider à instaurer des lois d’asiles et de former un personnel capable de
traiter les procédures de demandes d’asile. La condition de ces plans est la
signature et le respect par tous les pays de la convention de Genève.
Ce projet, établi en coopération avec
le UNHCR ne doit pas être confondu avec celui d’une instance européenne qui
centraliserait et traiterait, hors Europe, les demandes d’asiles adressées aux
pays membres de l’Union. Cette autre proposition d’une unité européenne
centralisant et traitant les demandes d’asile a été, jusqu’alors, refusée pour
cause de divergences importantes entre les pays membres, sur ses conditions de
mise en place.
Pourtant l’Union européenne reste
ouverte à ce type de propositions, en en donnant cependant les conditions :
-
les critères juridiques d’obtention de l’asile devront être
clairs et transparents.
-
Des mesures doivent être prévues pour les demandeurs
déboutés
-
Un travail commun des pays coopérants avec l’union
européenne doit être engagé.
Mais ces politiques à long terme ne
répondent pas à l’urgence des crises humanitaires renouvelées.
·
Article 7 :”EU Looks to Africa for Refugee Solution”
Link : http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1341980,00.html
Source analysis
See previous article.
Summary
Italy, which says to be overloaded by the illegal migrants entrance on
its territory, has started a co-operation program with the Libya to control the
immigration flow. This initiative gives good results as the interior minister
said. That’s why he proposes, to improve that proceed, to create a transit
centre for the asylum seekers in Libya.
The European interior ministers will, soon discuss this African transit
camp project which has also the support of Germany.
Amnesty international criticises this plan, as Libya isn’t recognised
for its grant respect of the human rights. The risk is, for the asylum seekers
not to be protected by the Geneva Convention and the international community.
At that time, the pact between Berlusconi and Ghadafi is a kind of
military co-operation : the italians police men’s will teach their Libyan
counterparts and some military equipment would be given, if the embargo is lifted,
it could be airplanes, boats and helicopteres which will be given to the Libya.
So, Libya could control its coastline and stop the would-be illegal immigrants.
Both Italy and Libya have a strong interest in bringing the immigration flood.
L’Italie, dépassée par le problème de
l’arrivée de bateaux de migrants clandestins sur ses cotes, coopère depuis
quelques temps avec la Libye afin de mieux contrôler les flux d’immigration.
Cette initiative apporte de bons résultats, selon le ministre de l’intérieur
italien, qui propose, pour l’améliorer, de créer, en Libye, un centre de
transit pour les demandeurs d’asile.
Cette proposition de camps de transit
en Afrique, aussi soutenue par l’Allemagne doit être discutée par les ministres
européens de l’intérieur et de la justice.
Amnesty
international a déjà fait part de ses critiques, rappelant la position
libyenne face aux droits de l’homme. Les demandeurs d’asile ne bénéficieraient
d’aucune protection.
Pour le moment, le contrat passé entre
Berlusconi et Kadhafi est une coopération de type militaire : les
policiers italiens participeraient à la formation de leurs homologues libyens
et des équipements militaires seraient donnés à la Libye, avec
l’assouplissement de l’embargo sur les armes se pourraient être des avions, des
bateaux et des hélicoptères qui seraient livrés aux libyens contre la
surveillance de leurs frontières littorales et désertiques. Italie et Libye ont
en effet toutes deux de grands intérêts à contrôler les flux de migrations.
·
Article 8 : “Blunkett backed on asylum centres” by the
Guardian
Source analysis
This article comes from the site of
the Guardian, a British daily newspaper well recognised for its seriousness.
Summary
The polemic D. Blunkett’s proposal to create transit centre outside
Europe for the asylum seekers has been reinforced by a report coming from
leftwing thinkers M. Veekamp and T. Bentley.
This report advises to include this proposal in a global immigration
project that would control all the people entering in Europe : visitors,
seasonal workers or asylum seekers, etc. would have to give the proofs that
they have enough money to live in Europe or that a job is waiting for them or
that a European people take his responsibility.
The European commission is interested by this project that suggest the
migrants to be sent in transit centre outside Europe while their claims are
processed. The report imagines the migrants would have to pay for the support
they were given in the centre. This condition would be a strong message to the
population who desire to migrate : it is required to have enough money to try
to come in Europe.
The report focuses on the fact that the illegal immigration has become
one of the most important fear in the public opinion because it is considered
as a threat for economy and security. Therefore the politics are submitted to
the both pressure of their internal opinion and of the increasing flow of
people forced to leave their country. One of the authors of the report admits that
the best thing to do would be to inform the “would be immigrants” about their
–negatives – perspectives in Europe.
Lexicon
·
Vouched: garanti, pris en charge
·
Upheaval: troubles, perturbation, agitation
·
Hubs: centre
·
Loans: prêts
Résumé
La proposition controversée de
D.Blunkett de créer des centres de transit pour les migrants en attente de
régularisation hors des frontières de l’Europe devrait, selon un récent rapport
écrit par M. Veekamp et T. Bentley, être intégrée dans un projet global de
contrôle de l’immigration, concernant toutes les personnes désirant entrer en
Europe. Chaque personne, quelle soit en visite, touriste, demandeur d’asile ou
travailleur devrait prouver qu’elle possède assez d’argent pour assumer ses
dépenses ou qu’un travail lui est destiné ou encore qu’il est sous la
responsabilité d’une personne de nationalité européenne.
La commission européenne est intéressée
par ce projet pour lequel les personnes qui doivent attendre le traitement de
leur demande seraient renvoyées hors du territoire européen dans des centres de
transit où elles payeront leur hébergement, afin d’envoyer un message aux
populations tenté par l’immigration : un certain niveau de richesse est
exigé.
Dans le rapport sont soulignés la
nécessité de penser de nouvelles politiques d’immigration étant donné la
pression de l’opinion qui voit en elle une menace économique et terroriste.
Mais la pression est toujours plus forte aux frontières de l’Europe. La
meilleure solution serait de faire mieux connaître aux migrants volontaires
leurs perspectives dans les différents pays.
-
Public opinion pressure
·
Article 9:” Half the people in the EU want to cut down
on immigration-EU report” by Eubusiness.com.
Link: http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/050315141301.a596zjuv
Source analysis
The Eubusiness web site is Europe’s leading independant online business
information service about the European Union. It was founded in Luxembourg in
1997. In 2003, it entered into partnership with ICP Europe Publishing plc. I
consider it a credible source, especially as the article is linked to the
European Monitoring
Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC).
Summary
A Eurobarometer survey, made in all
the European Union member states in 2004, shows that half the people in the
European Union wants to cut down on immigration. The survey was presented by
Beate Winkler, director of the EU:s Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia
(EUMC), who says that appropriate policies need to be introduced in an effort
to avoid hostilities and the potential for conflict. One result of the study is
that in the “Old Europe” of the 15 EU states before expansion in 2004 there are
60 percent who think that “there is a limit to how many people of other races,
religions or cultures a society can accept”, whether 42 percent in the New
Europe of the ten states think the same.
EUMC research chief John Wrench said
that Europeans have more difficulties with the idea of immigrants than
Americans, Canadians or Australians, whose countries were built by immigrants.
It is difficult to tell by the survey whether the old or the new Europe is more
anti-immigrant, since figures varied according to the subject chosen. The
survey shows that lower educated people are more likely to display negative
attitudes towards minorities than socially advantaged majority populations, and
also that people from rural areas tend to be more hostile to immigration,
despite the fact that most immigrants live in cities.
Lexicon
·
Urge: éprouver une forte envie de faire
quelque chose
·
Survey:sondage
·
Canvassed:faire campagne
Résumé
Un sondage de l’Eurobaromètre, effectué dans tous les Etats
membres de l’Union Européenne en 2004, montre que la moitié des gens dans
l’Union Européenne veulent réduire l’immigration. Le sondage a été présenté par
Beate Winkler, directrice de l’EUMC, qui dit que des politiques appropriés
doivent être introduites dans un effort d’éviter des hostilités et le potentiel
du conflit. Un résultat de l’étude est que « l’Ancienne Europe » des
15 Etats membres avant l’expansion en 2004, 60 pourcent qui pensent qu’il y a
une limite des nombre de gens des autres races, religions ou cultures une
société peut accepter, tandis que 42 pourcent dans la nouvelle Europe des dix
Etats pensent la même chose.
John Wrench, EUMC chef de recherche a dit que les Européens
ont plus de difficultés de l’idée des immigrants que les Américains, les
Canadiens ou les Australiens, dont les pays étaient construits par des
immigrants. C’est difficile de tirer des conclusions par le sondage de quelle
partie de l’Europe, « l’ancienne », ou « la nouvelle », que
est le plus réticente envers l’immigration, comme les figures ont varié selon
le sujet choisi. Le sondage montre que les gens moins éduqués sont plus aptes
d’exposer des attitudes négatives envers des minorités que les populations
majoritaires, socialement avantageuses. Et aussi que les gens des zones ruraux
ont tendance d’être plus hostiles à l’immigration, malgré le fait que le plupart
des immigrants vivent dans les villes.
- Economic point of view :
·
Article 10:” Europe : a new immigration
area ?” by the Population Reference Bureau
Link:http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5897
Source analysis
The Population Reference Bureau informs people about
the population dimensions of important social, economic, and political issues.
The mission of this organism is “to be the leader in providing timely and
objective information on U.S. and international population trends and their
implications.”
Their works are relevant and quality and they use
several sources. They collaborate with other organizations both in the United
States and other countries like government agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, foundations, and universities (the Population Council, the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development…)
Summary
Many countries of the European Union (EU) have an
ageing and declining population caused by the decreasing of birth rates. The
labour force is inadequate and the numbers are relevant, the 15-nation EU has a
labour force of 170 million and a population of 380 million. EU nations have
chosen different ways to overcome this tendency. This article tries to
highlight the potential paths of managing immigration and gives us answers to
the question “Should the European Union (EU) open it’s doors to immigration to
prevent cases of alien smuggling as well as to slow down the shrinking of the
population and the labour force?”
Some of the EU countries, which already have a low
fertility, avoid the decreasing of the population with the migration
management. Nevertheless, the majority of EU member nations and their
population are critical towards immigration and don’t anticipate permanent
immigration. Mostly they object to the rising of immigration because they
associate migrants with unemployment and welfare.
The EU immigration policy evolved in 1999 with the
signature of the Amsterdam Treaty. The policy’s aim is to manage and regulate
the immigration and the asylum seekers. It promotes struggle against migrant
smugglers and deals with foreigners. The current policies don’t facilitate the
job-finding for immigrants. Nevertheless, immigration seems to be a good way to
increase the labour force.
The four biggest EU countries (Italy, Germany, the
United Kingdom and France) have promoted two different ways. France and Italy
have periodically unauthorized foreigners, the others have avoided legalization
and tried to reduce the number of asylum seekers.
Lexicon
Résumé
Beaucoup de
pays européens connaissent une baisse démographique, une population
vieillissante ainsi qu’un manque de main d’oeuvre. Ainsi, différentes
politiques d’immigration ont été adoptées afin de dépasser cette tendance. La
plupart des pays n’envisagent toujours pas cette immigration comme permanente
et ont une représentation négative des émigrés qu’ils associent au chômage, au
manque de qualification...
Cet article
montre les différentes voies empruntées par les pays membres et tente de
répondre à la question « Est ce que l’Union
Européenne (UE) devrait ouvrir ses portes à l’immigration pour prévenir de tel
cas de passage clandestin aussi bien que pour ralentir le déclin de la
population et de la main d’oeuvre? »
-International Law point of view
·
Article 11: “UNHCR calls for access, transparency
after Lampedusa deportation”by the UNHCR
Source Analysis
This article comes from the official site of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), created in 1950 to protect and
assist refugees.
Summary
The High Commissioner for Refugee appeals for more access and
transparency concerning the Italian deportation of asylum seekers. For the
second time and without any respect for the international laws and for the
previous recommendations of the UNHCR Italy has send to Libya – a country which
hasn’t signed the Geneva convention and can’t be considered as a safe and fair
asylum counrty – some migrants who reached this country in the past weeks.
The UNHCR doubts that these migrants could have benefit from the international
laws that enable them to seek Asylum in the country the choose. Their claim
seems not to be well processed as the migrants were sort by their original
country instead of being individually treated. The fact that the members staff of the international Agency for
refugees weren’t allow to enter in the transit centre of the Lampedusa island,
where the migrants were can only increase the suspicion. It may be that some
people who could pretend to the status of refugee and to an international help and
protection have been send in Libya – from where they will probably be send to
homeland – without any care to their situation and to the threat they will face
there. The UNHCR remind the state of Italy of its duty and condemn its breaches
to the international law. However, understanding the saturation feeling due to
the increasing rate of false claims, it proposes its co-operation to the state
involved (Italy and Libya) to elaborate efficient solutions in the respect of
the law.
Lexicon
Résumé
Le haut commissariat aux réfugiés
appelle à une plus grande transparence concernant les transferts de demandeurs
d’asile que se permet de faire l’Italie. En effet pour la seconde fois et sans
aucun souci du droit international et des recommandations de l’UNHCR, l’Italie
a renvoyé en Libye, un pays n’ayant pas signé la convention de Genève et
n’ayant aucun système d’asile, des migrants ayant atteint l’Italie lors des
précédentes semaines. Le HCR fait part de ses doutes concernant le respect des
droits fondamentaux des réfugiés, d’autant plus que les représentants du HCR
n’ont pas étés autorisés à entrer dans le centre de transit d’où proviennent
les demandeurs d’asile refoulés. Il est probable que des personnes ayant droit
à l’asile ont étés injustement renvoyés en Libye, d’où ils seront probablement
renvoyés dans leur pays alors qu’ils y sont menacés. Les procédures de demande
d’asile n’ont probablement pas été respecté, le tri des réfugiés se faisant par
pays. Le HCR rappelle à l’Italie ses devoirs et déplore ses manquements au
droit et son absence de prise en compte des recommandations de l’agence pour
les réfugiés. Cependant, comprenant le sentiment de saturation éprouvé par
l’Italie devant le taux croissant de fausses plaintes, le UNHCR propose sa
coopération afin de régler, dans le respect du droit, le problème de
l’immigration clandestine en Italie.
- Humanitarian
point of view :
·
Article 12 :« Libya pressures Europe to stop
flow of migrants.”
Link: http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/article/1101978296737
Source analysis
Helsingin Sanomat International Edition, went online on September 15,
1999.
It is the biggest daily subscription-based newspaper in Scandinavia, and
Finland’s leading national paper, read by more than three-fourths of the
residents of the Helsinki metropolitan area and by a quarter of all Finns. The
paper is independent and non-aligned. The online edition is available via the
internet. It provides on-line information complementary to that in the daily
paper and the weekly and monthly supplements. As the Helsingin Sanomat is
Finland’s leading national paper, the source is considered as faithful.
Summary
Libya has become the second important transit point for immigration to
Europe, right after Morocco. The streams of immigrants flow mainly toward
Italy, which has pushed the EU to do something about the illegal immigration.
Libya is also having problems with the illegal immigration that is getting too
expensive, with a number of immigrants between 700 000 and 1.5 million for
a country with 5.8 million inhabitants.
Libya has traditionally implemented a policy of open doors and
immigrants have been invited to come to work there. Now Libya sees them all as
illegal immigrants, and wants help from the EU.
Libya has long put immigrants into camps. Those arriving illegally are
without protection, and easily exploited. The camps in Libya resemble prisons,
and since Libya is not a signatory to the Geneva refugee treaty or other
relevant international treaties, and does not have a system of asylum, no
control from other countries can really be done.
From the point of view of the EU, the most problematic aspect is that
Libya does not distinguish between economic migrants fleeing poverty, and
asylum seekers fleeing war. But most of the travellers are eager to get to
Europe, and don’t ask for asylum in Libya.
Lexicon
Résumé
En octobre 2004, les ministres de justice de l'UE ont
annoncé l'établissement des camps de transit d'immigration dans cinq nations
africaines. La stratégie a été copiée de l'Australie, où des camps de détention
extérieurs de l'Australie existent déjà, avec un quota annuel des réfugiés. Mr
Oliver Letwin, président du parti conservatif au Royaume-Uni, dit que le but du
système n'est pas autant de fermer les frontières que d'être sélèctif, et que
des camps dans d'autres pays méditerranéens, en particulier en Libye, coûteront
beaucoup moins. Des conseillers juridiques mettent l'idée en question, dû au
transfert de responsabilité d'Etat, difficile à prouver en justice
internationale, parce que l'UE n'est pas une personne légale et n'est pas
rattaché aux traités internationaux.
Le plan d'externaliser la responsabilité pour les réfugiés
n'est rien de nouveau pour l'UE, ce qui est nouveau est la manière dont les
demandeurs d'asile vont être envoyé à un autre emplacement pour être traités ou
détenus, un prototype évident de "la solution pacifique".
·
Article 13: « Exporting the “Pacific solution” By
the New Matilda
Link:http://www.newmatilda.com/home/articledetailmagazine.asp?ArticleID=315&CategoryID=-1
Source analysis
New Matilda: Independent voice in
Australia
Problem of the source: anyone can
write for them, but Madeleine Byrne is a former SBS and ABC journalist, which
doesn’t guarantee anything, but which makes her credible as a writer.
Independent political commentary.
Summary
In October 2004, EU justice ministers announced the establishment of
immigration transit camps in five African nations. This is a strategy copied
from Australia, where external detention camps already exist, with an annual
refugee quota.
Mr Oliver Letwin, UK Conservative Party Chairman says the goal of the
system is not as much about closing the borders as about being selective, and
camps in other Mediterranean countries, especially in Libya, will cost a lot
less. Lawyers question the idea, due to the transfer of state responsibility,
difficult to prove in international law, because the EU does not have a legal
personality and is not bound by international treaties.
The plan to outsource responsibility for refugees is nothing new to the
EU, what is new is the way asylum seekers will be sent to another location to
be processed or detained, an obvious prototype of “the pacific solution”.
Lexicon
Résumé
La Libye est devenue le deuxième point de transit le plus
important pour l'immigration vers l'Europe, juste après le Maroc. Les flots des
immigrants montent principalement vers l'Italie, ce qui a poussé l'UE de faire
quelque chose concernant l'immigration illégale. La Libye a elle aussi des
problèmes avec l'immigration illégale qui coûte trop cher, avec un nombre des
immigrants entre 700 000 et 1.5 millions pour un pays avec 5.8 millions
d'habitants.
Traditionnellement, la Libye a implementé une politique des
portes ouvertes et les immigrants ont été invité d'y venir travailler. Pour
l'instant par contre, la Libye les regardent tous comme des immigrants
illégaux, et réclame de l'aide de l'UE. Depuis longtemps, la Libye mettent les
immigrants dans des camps. Ceux qui arrivent illégalement n'ont pas de
protection, et sont facilement exploités. Les camps en Libye ressemblent à des
prisons, et comme la Libye n'est pas signataire de la convention de Genève ou
d'autres traités internationaux en rapport, et n'a non plus de système d'asile,
le contrôl des autres pays est plus ou moins impossible.
Du point de vue de l'UE, l'aspect le plus problématique est
le fait que la Libye ne fait pas de
distinction entre des migrants économiques qui fuient le pauvreté, et des
demandeurs d'asile qui fuient les guerres. Mais ce n’est peut-être pas un
problème majeur, comme le plupart des voyageurs souhaitent atteindre l'Europe,
et ne demandent pas le droit d'asile en Libye.
·
Article 14: Thousands of refugees perish on European
Union borders. (Gibraltar)
Source analysis
The World Socialist Web site is the Internet center of the International
Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). The standpoint of the Website is
one of revolutionary opposition to the capitalist market system. It’s aim is
the establishment of World socialism. This makes a bit of a problem for the
credibility of the source, but it is still a serious source, without forgetting
the socialist point of view.
Summary
There have been more than 4000 deaths at the borders of the European
Union in ten years. With less hope of crossing the borders legally, refugees
are left to the services of smugglers. The majority of the deaths are consisted
of people who drowned in the Mediterranean, most of them unanonymous victims
who remain unidentified. For example in the straits of Gibraltar, 16 Africans died
on October 8, 2002, when trying to avoid the ultramodern Spanish surveillance
craft, purposely built to ward off refugees. Others drowned when ordered off
their ships by people smugglers and told to swim towards land. Refugees also
die in minefields on the border between Greece and Turkey, or suffocate in
air-tight containers like the 58 Chinese found in Dover, England on June 19,
2000. There are also many refugees dying when shot by border guards or beaten
to death.
Harsh measures against refugees have become a requirement for EU
membership with the Amsterdam agreement and the decisions adopted in Tampere,
Finland in 1999. Since, spending on border protection has dramatically
increased in several countries. The results for the refugees are more risks taken
when trying to get into the European Union with the help of smugglers, who
benefit from the restricted policies.
Lexicon
·
Rate: taux
Résumé
Il y a eu plus de 4000 morts sur les frontières de l'UE les
dix dernières années. Avec moins d'espoir de croiser les frontières légalement,
les réfugiés sont laissé aux services des contrebandiers. La majorité des morts
sont constitués des gens noyés dans la Méditerranée, le plupart des victimes
anonymes restant nonidentifiés. Dans les détroits de Gibraltar par exemple, 16
Africains sont morts le 8 octobre 2002, en essayant d’éviter l’embarcation de
surveillance Espagnole supermoderne, spécialement construite pour chasser les
réfugiés. D’autres sont noyés quand ordonnés de quitter les bateaux par les
contrebandiers des personnes et dites de nager vers la plage. D’autres encore
meurent dans des champs des mines sur la frontière entre la Grèce et la
Turquie, ou étouffent dans des conteneurs hermétiques comme les 58 Chinois
trouvés à Dover, Angleterre le 19 juin 2000. De plus, il y a beaucoup que
meurent quand fusillés par des gardiens de frontière ou abattus à mort.
Des mesures dures envers les réfugiés est devenu une critère
pour atteindre adhésion dans l’UE avec le traité d’Amsterdam et les décisions
adoptés à Tampere, Finlande en 1999. Depuis, les dépenses sur la protection des
frontières a augmenté dramatiquement dans plusieurs pays. Les résultats pour
les réfugiés sont plus des risques entrepris en essayant d’atteindre l’UE par
l’aide des contrebandiers, qui bénéficient des politiques restrictives.
·
Article 15: “The creation of transit centres outside
the European Union” by the European parliament
|
|
Link : http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc05/EDOC10448.htm
Source Analysis
This article comes from the official
site of the Council of Europe. As all the sites of the European Union it
presents two versions, one in French and the other in English, that’s why we
give the two texts.
Summary
In this proposition that haven’t been examined by the European council
yet, some members of the parliamentary assembly express their recommendations
on a polemic and recurrent question : the question of the creation of
processing and transit centres for the asylum seekers and other migrants
outside Europe. They call the European member states which seem to be
interested in that project to the higher care of it’s possible bad sides.
Actually, if the project is well-adapted to the orders given by the UNHCR – the
creation of one unique European centre to process all the asylum applications
to the European members states –in convention with the Geneva convention – that
admits the right to the refugees to stay near their origin country –this
project shouldn’t be used as a means to throw away the responsibilities of the
state. They stay responsible of the migrants and the asylum seekers who try to
come to Europe.
So, the member-states should define accurately the function of such
transit centres, they have to make clear which public to welcome and how to
look after it. In case the processing centres will be created outside Europe,
the member-states have to make sure that the human rights and the Geneva
convention will be respected. Further more, the European community shouldn’t
give away it’s study of migration-causes and should establish, from that study,
long-term asylum policies. It should improve the co-operation, both in the
political field and in the economical field, with the refugees’ origin states.
The members of the European council remind the member states of the
protection of the refugees as a duty. The European Union should show an
example, she has to keep a human face and should propose equal, efficient and
just asylum applications.
Résumé
Dans cette proposition de résolution,
qui n’a jusqu'à présent pas été examinée par l’ensemble du conseil de l’Europe,
quelques membres de l’assemblée parlementaire européenne se préoccupent de la
question, évoquée de manière récurrente depuis quelques années, de la création
de camps de transit pour demandeurs d’asile et autres migrants en dehors des
frontières de l’Europe. Ils mettent en garde les États membres intéressés par
ce projet contre les dérives qu’il peut présenter. En effet, ce projet, s’il
répond bien aux directives proposées par le Haut Commissariat aux Réfugiés de
créer une instance européenne unique qui centraliserait toutes les demandes
d’asile reçues par les pays membres et qu’il permet, conformément aux exigences
de la convention de Genève aux réfugiés de rester proches de leur pays
d’origine, ne doit pas être utilisé par les pays membres comme un moyen de se
débarrasser de leurs responsabilités envers les réfugiés et demandeurs d’asile
qui prennent le chemin de l’Europe.
Les États membres doivent bien définir
la fonction de ces centres, se mettre d’accord sur le public visé et sur la
responsabilité de leur gestion. S’ils sont amenés à être instaurés, ils devront
respecter les textes de lois reconnus en Europe ; la convention de Genève
et la charte européenne des droits de l’Homme. De plus l’Europe ne devra pas se
dispenser de penser des politiques d’asile à long terme, et d’étudier les
causes des migrations, elle doit au contraire augmenter son engagement en terme
de coopération politique et économique avec les États d’ou proviennent les
réfugiés.
Les membres du conseil de l’Europe
rappellent qu’il est du devoir de la communauté internationale de protéger les
demandeurs d’asile et les réfugiés. L’Europe doit avoir un rôle exemplaire,
elle doit garder visage humain, et proposer des procédures d’asile juste,
efficaces et égales pour tous.
Conclusion
There are some common policies in Europe but the problem of migration is
debated between the different countries. Some of them – Italy, Germany-
consider that the proposal is well adapted to manage the migration flow whereas
some others, France and Sweden for example, are more hesitating. On a pragmatic
level : On the one hand the migration is perceived in a negative way,
unemployment, insecurity and violence are felt as a consequence of migration,
on the other hand migration enables to struggle against an ageing population,
fills gaps in the work force and boosts the economy.
On an ethical level : the Human rights, the protection and the help to
the migrants are a duty. The migrants never leave their homeland by their own
choice. They are forced by politic or economic reasons, they are the victim of
the increasing inequalities which are produced by a global economic order. They
are the forsaken people of our idea of progress and development.
From that point of view we can’t deny that the European Union have an
important responsibility regarding the destiny of the asylum seekers and the
economic migrants.