Increase surveillance to combat illegal migration-EU
Source: Reuters
(Adds quotes, details) By David Brunnstrom BRUSSELS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - European countries must boost cooperation against illegal immigration with permanent coastal patrol networks and joint border surveillance, the European Commission said on Thursday. The European Union's executive said a common "European Surveillance System for Borders" should be created, focusing initially on linking existing national systems on the southern sea borders, but gradually providing pan-European radar and satellite surveillance. It said it would propose tough new penalties next spring against employers of illegal migrants in Europe. At the same, it aimed to encourage legal migration to fill labour needs in the 25 EU member states and provide support to create jobs in would-be illegal migrants' home countries, said Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini. In policy papers for next month's EU summit, Frattini said illegal migration to southern Europe from Africa had reached unprecedented levels, requiring immediate national and EU action both to ease pressure on Europe and prevent human tragedies. He estimated that thousands of would-be migrants had died in the past year trying to reach Europe's shores in often dangerously overloaded, unseaworthy vessels. Serious consideration should be given to extending proposed steps to the eastern and southeastern frontiers and, in future, to cope with migration from Asia and Latin America, he said. "It is absolutely clear we cannot deal with southern migration only," Frattini said. "The more we will reduce desperate flows of people, the more we will get success." SOLIDARITY CALL The Commission urged member states to work "in a spirit of solidarity" on migration, at a time when wealthy north European states have shown reluctance to fund joint border controls or relinquish national control on migration policy. The small Warsaw-based EU border management agency FRONTEX could be effective only if member states provided necessary human and technical resources for joint operations, it said. It proposed that FRONTEX should look into continuous surveillance of the southern sea borders from spring to late autumn, when most migrants tried to enter the bloc. A permanent Coastal Patrol Network should be established a soon as possible and could be a forerunner of a fully fledged European Coastguard service. Frattini said serious consideration should be given to establishing regional command centres on the southern sea borders staffed and equipped by member states and coordinated by FRONTEX with participation by third countries. More than 26,000 West Africans have come ashore in the Spanish Canary Islands this year, dwarfing previous such flows. Thousands more have entered Europe via Morocco or Libya. An EU official said millions of Africans would be looking for work in coming years, creating "vast" immigration pressure. African leaders struggling to cope with high unemployment and floods of job seekers to cities, as well as brain drains of their best talents, were enthusiastic about the EU proposals. "We don't need to convince the African states, they are very interested," the official said.
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