The Commission put forward an ambitious package of justice and home affairs measures on 1 September 2005. With a combination of one directive and three communications, Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has set out to please mainly the hardliners of public opinion, who want to crack down and quickly return illegal immigrants, while also catering to demands for better integration of the legal immigrants.
The directive proposes common rules concerning return, removal, use of coercive measures, temporary custody and re-entry, and establishes the rule that illegal stays should be ended through a fair and transparent procedure.
The communication on integration proposes EU and national level action, and stresses the importance of further clarifying and supporting the rights and responsibilities of new migrant members of our societies. A second communication addresses the problems of the so-called brain drain among other issues, and a third communication addresses the conditions of refugees that remain in their regions of origin.
EurActiv will follow up with more in-depth coverage including reactions from stakeholders
