Activities of Simon BUSUTTIL related to 2008/2331(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Common Immigration Policy for Europe: Principles, actions and tools (short presentation)
Reports (1)
REPORT Report on a Common Immigration Policy for Europe: Principles, actions and tools PDF (271 KB) DOC (283 KB)
Amendments (31)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Indent 13 b (new)
Indent 13 b (new)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas migration into Europe will always be a reality as long as there are considerable differences in wealth and quality of life between Europe and other regions of the world,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas poorly managed migration may disrupt the social cohesion of the countries of destination and may also be detrimental to countries of origin as well as to migrants themselves,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Europe’s migration policies must comply with the norms of international law, particularly those that concern human rights, human dignity and rights to asylum., extraterritorial jurisdiction and rights and obligations of the Coastal State,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that a common immigration policy also necessarily requires the establishment of a common asylum policy and welcomes the report on the future of the European Common Asylum System (CEAS) and the Commission proposal for a regulation to establish a European Asylum Support Office;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Welcomes the institutional implications of the Lisbon Treaty, in particular the extension of codecision and qualified majority voting to all immigration policies, the clarification of EU competence on visas and border controls, the extension of EU competence on asylum as well as the extension of EU competence in respect of legal and illegal immigration;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Considers that the development of a common immigration policy would benefit from an increased and regular consultation with civil society organisations, including migrant organisations;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Supports measures to bring unemployed and inactive third-country nationals who are legally residing in EU Member States into employment, with a particular focus on women;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Supports integration efforts of legal migrants as well as beneficiaries of international protection, taking into account respect for the identity and values of the EU and its Member States, including the respect for human rights, the rule of law, democracy, tolerance and equality; acknowledges that integration is more difficult to achieve in countries which are facing significant migratory pressures; and therefore calls on other Member States to contribute towards alleviating such pressures in a spirit of solidarity, thereby facilitating the integration of beneficiaries of international protection who are within the EU Member States, in parallel with the promotion of legal migration;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that integration should be based on social inclusion, anti- discrimination, equal opportunities, education, intercultural dialogue and diversity management in schools and the workplace; acknowledges the key role that local and regional authorities could play in achieving these aims;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Encourages the development of mutual learning mechanisms and the exchange of best practices between Member States in order to strengthen the ability of host countries to manage increasing diversity and also a system of common indicators and adequate statistical capacity to be used by Member States to evaluate immigration policy outcomes;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls for an assessment on the feasibility of an integrated four-tier approach, whereby checks would be carried out systematically at each stage when immigrants are travelling to the Union;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that despite repeated increases in its budgetary means at the insistence of Parliament, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) is still far from providing an effective co-ordination of control efforts at the Union’s external borders, largely because of a lack of effort in engaging third countries especially in so far as maritime operations are concerned;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative for a proposal to review the mandate of FRONTEX and considers that its reinforcement is urgently required, in particular by extending its opercoordinational capacity and its ability to undertakcoordinate permanent missions in areas which face high migratory pressures' and its ability to engage with third countries; believes that emphasis should also be placed on increasing FRONTEX's risk analysis and intelligence gathering capacity;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that FRONTEX requires adequate resources, not just financial ones, if it is to fulfil its mandate in a meaningful manner and calls for the deployment of new technologies to combat illegal immigration, on Member States to increase the pooling of technical means and on the Commission to bring forward legislative proposals to establish compulsory solidarity for the Central Record of Available Technical Equipment (CRATE) on the same basis as that envisaged for the Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs);
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on FRONTEX and the Commission to carry out a study, with estimates, on the possibility of FRONTEX acquiring its own equipment and on the possible transformation of FRONTEXrequirements for the possible upgrade of FRONTEX operations at sea into an EU coast guard;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Considers that FRONTEX can only be fully effective if efforts are intensified on complementary actions, such as readmission and cooperation with third countries; calls on the Commission to support FRONTEX in this regard, bilateral agreements on shared border management with third countries and other types of cooperation with third countries; calls on the Commission to support FRONTEX in this regard and to concentrate on third countries that are known to be a major source or transit point of illegal immigration;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Notes that differences in the interpretation of legal terms, the interpretation of the international laws of the sea and differences in national legislation and procedures, have all hampered FRONTEX operations; calls for comprehensive studies to be carried out in order to seek a common approach and to sort out conflicting differences between national legislation and procedures;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls for further and constant cooperation between FRONTEX and national bodies and agencies;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23c. Calls for further developments on the concept of a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) also by improving coordination between Member States;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)
Paragraph 23 d (new)
23d. Notes that fishermen, private vessels and private workers at sea often encounter illegal immigrants before a country's naval forces; stresses the need to inform such parties more clearly about their international law obligations to aid immigrants in distress and calls for a mechanism of compensation for lost work as a result of rescue operations;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Recalls that illegal immigration is often operated by criminal networks which have, so far, proved to be more effective than common European action; is convinced that this cynicalsuch network iss are responsible for the death of hundreds of people whose lives are lost at sea every year; calls, therefore, on the Commission and on Council to redouble their efforts in the fight against organised crime and, human trafficking and smuggling which occur in various parts of the EU;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Welcomes the adoption of the new Directive on sanctions against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals and considers it as an effective tool in curbing the exploitation of migrant workers and to reduce the attractiveness of one of the main pull factors for illegal immigration;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls for a system of Return Counselling Services to be established in closed and open accommodation centres, serving as a contact point for persons wishing to learn more about return assistance;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Calls for a European laissez-passer system to facilitate the return of undocumented migrants;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the commitments made by Member States in the above-mentioned European Pact on Immigration and Asylum in relation to the need for solidarity; welcomes in particular the inclusion of a voluntary burden-sharing mechanism which enables the intra-EU reallocation of beneficiaries of international protection from Member States which are faced with specific and disproportionate pressures on their national asylum systems, due in particular to their geographical or demographic situation, to other Member States, and calls on the Member States to implement these commitments; welcomes also the allocation of EUR 5 million in the EU’s 2009 budget for this purpose under the European Refugee Fund; calls on the Commission to implement this mechanism forthwith and to propose immediately a legislative initiative to establish such a mechanism at European level on a permanent basis;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Calls for support for third countries in developing their national legislative framework and establishing immigration and asylum systems with full respect for international law and also calls on third countries of transit to sign and respect the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 c (new)
Paragraph 33 c (new)
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 d (new)
Paragraph 33 d (new)
33d. Calls on the Commission to intensify awareness programmes in countries of transit and of origin on the dangers of illegal immigration;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)
Paragraph 34 b (new)
34b. Calls for implementation of the policy instruments developed within the framework of the "Global Approach to Migration"1 as well as the 2006 "Rabat Process" on migration and development and the EU Africa Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment agreed in Lisbon in December 2007;