Legislative Observatory
European Parliament
Please fill in this field to find a procedure

Migration flows arising from instability: scope and role of the EU foreign policy

2010/2269(INI)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on migration flows arising from instability: scope and role of the EU foreign policy.

Parliament recalls that migration is caused by instability and is triggered in particular by war and armed conflicts, human rights abuses, natural and man-made disasters and the lack of viable economic prospects. Flows of immigrants have a number of consequences, in particular pressures on those Member States located geographically at the EU’s external borders. It is in this context that Parliament for the establishment of a common immigration policy, the management of economic migration with a view to promoting economic and social progress in receiving, transit and origin countries, and to enhance social cohesion by improving the integration of migrants. It also calls for a migration policy centred on development policy.

The main themes covered by the resolution may be summarised as follows:

Strengthen the multilateral approach to assist third countries: noting that migration is a longstanding worldwide phenomenon, Parliament considers that an active dialogue should be started between the EU, the US, Japan and China as well as with the international financial institutions. This would make for greater collective leverage and the more balanced, targeted and efficient allocation of resources, whilst ensuring fair burden-sharing. They call for the organisation of an EU-US Summit on this issue.

Bolster the stability of third countries on the basis of partnership: noting that there are currently around 38 fragile states worldwide in which 1 billion people are affected by instability-related problems. In this context, support for politically and economically fragile states, as a likely source of irregular migration and security- and stability-related tensions, should always include – in addition to budgetary relief and support, strategies to establish or consolidate stability such as direct investment and EU market-access strategies, rural development and food security strategies, job-creation policies, infrastructure development, and strategies geared to promoting good governance, social inclusion, etc. These strategies must be based on active partnerships which draw on the principles of ownership and empowerment of the beneficiary countries. Parliament calls on the European Union and the Member States to take action to encourage countries of origin to adopt and implement measures and policies which enable them to develop socially, economically and democratically, so that their nationals are not compelled to migrate.

Towards a comprehensive approach on the question of migration: Parliament notes that progress has been made in implementing the Global Approach to Migration, which aims to promote comprehensive partnerships with countries of origin and transit and encourages synergies between migration and development. It emphasises the need to improve further the use of the main tools of the Global Approach to Migration (mobility partnerships, migratory missions, migration profiles, cooperation platforms), to continue to put migration policy objectives at the centre of the political dialogue with countries of origin and of transit, as well as the need to enhance policy coherence in this respect, in particular with development policy. In this regard, it calls for the various dialogue processes to be rationalised and for the synergies between migration and development to be strengthened.

Parliament calls for the establishment of a comprehensive migration policy which is linked to all development strategies and instruments and founded on a high level of political and operational solidarity, mutual trust, transparency, partnership, shared responsibility and joint efforts based on common principles and concrete actions. This comprehensive approach should take into consideration the European labour market’s need for a labour force and each Member State’s capacity to receive and integrate migrants. It believes that a common EU policy on legal migration can be a stimulus both for the European economy and for the economies of the countries of origin.

Involving FRONTEX and increasing solidarity between Member States: Parliament is in favour of strengthening the role of the FRONTEX agency in order to better control migratory flows. It calls on the Commission to develop a permanent monitoring system for all FRONTEX activities linked to the management of migration flows. It considers that the human rights dimension of FRONTEX operations must be reflected clearly and that there should be closer cooperation in the activities and work of FRONTEX and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). Parliament underlines the necessity to increase solidarity among EU Member States, in particular the most vulnerable, with a view to achieving maximum effectiveness in policy coordination and burden-sharing.

More information for migrants an on migration: Parliament calls on the Member States to work collaboratively with non-EU countries to ensure that information relating to legal migration is readily available and that legal migration is actively advocated. It encourages in particular the establishment of migration information and management centres outside the EU in order to help third countries of origin or transit to define a migration policy in response to the concerns of potential migrants and returning migrants, offer guidance on legal immigration, as well as on job opportunities and living conditions in countries of destination, and help with job training for would-be migrants, building on the experience gained with the pilot project in Bamako, Mali (CIGEM). In parallel, Parliament considers that harmonisation of migration-related statistics is essential to the effective planning, adoption, implementation and assessment of migration policy.

Respect for the human rights clause in agreements: recalling its recommendations in its resolution of 21 September 2010, Parliament stresses that the EU should not hesitate to apply sanctions when countries fail to respect their governance and human rights obligations under trade agreements. Parliament believes that a process of reflection should be started at EU level on the bases of and scope for the application of conditionality criteria to EU financial assistance. It supports the incorporation of the principle of conditionality in trade arrangements with developing countries via the Generalised System of Preferences and urges the Commission to consider sanctions whenever needed, but to examine carefully the consequences of such sanctions for the populations of the beneficiary countries before doing so.

Migratory flows and principles of asylum: Parliament considers that in their management of irregular migration flows the EU and its Member States must fully respect the rights of asylum seekers and refrain from taking any actions that would discourage potential refugees from requesting protection. It urges the Commission to establish a monitoring system to check that refugees’ and asylum-seekers’ rights are respected when entry (and pre-entry) controls are carried out under the Schengen Borders Code, so that possible flaws can be detected promptly.

The Libyan question: Parliament deplores the fact that in the current circumstances the only option available was the suspension of the agreement on EU-Libya cooperation, and takes the view that the suspension should be revoked as soon as there is a new transitional government willing to promote the democratic and human rights-based implementation of such an agreement. It stresses, in this context, the need for the EU to use its influence to persuade Libya to allow the UNHCR to return to the country and believe that agreements on a cooperation agenda on migration should be reached with other countries in geographic proximity to the EU with a view to providing joint support, in accordance with international agreements, to fragile States in their neighbourhood. It urges the Council to put in place a burden-sharing action plan to help resettle refugees from the region, based on the solidarity clause set out in Article 80 of the TFEU, and to provide support for displaced persons.

The Neighbourhood Partnership (ENP) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM): Parliament stresses the key importance of Parliament in enhancing freedom and democracy in our neighbourhood. It believes that Parliament should monitor closely the democratisation process in the southern Mediterranean, and suggests a regular ad hoc structured dialogue with the Vice-President/High Representative to assess developments in this region. It also emphasises the following points:

  • genuine attention should be paid to the dialogues on human rights and democracy in the revised ENP;
  • the need to step up cooperation with the countries of transit and origin of illegal migrants so as to curb illegal migration and encourage legal immigration;
  • the improvement of migration-related statistics;
  • the provision of specific funding for the development of a renewed, strong economic agenda in ENP countries, including an employment agenda;
  • the conclusion of more mobility partnership agreements with ENP countries, in addition to the existing ones with Moldova and Georgia;
  • strengthening the objectives of the UfM and the Eastern Partnership initiative in order to make them fully operational.

Restructuring of European development assistance to respond to migration-related imperatives: Parliament stresses that EU development aid should aim to eliminate the reasons for migration, such as poverty, climate change and hunger. This is why development aid needs to be strengthened and better coordinated with the help of other global donors in order to ensure that there is a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to managing migratory flows. It urges that development assistance be decoupled from migration-flow management and that development aid should not be made conditional on return migration. In this context, it rejects the idea of using Official development Assistance (ODA) for policies aimed at deterring and controlling migration in ways which involve the violation of migrants’ human rights. It recommends: i) the redeployment of existing financial resources to strengthen the link between migration and development; ii) the reinforcing of LRRD strategies (aimed at linking relief, rehabilitation and development) in particular after periods of conflict; iii) the clarification of the respective roles of the European External Action Service and DEVCO, and for coordination between them and iv) the revision of the DCI, the EDF and the Instrument for Humanitarian Aid so as to enhance the positive effects of migration in terms of promoting human development and democracy in fragile states.

Action against the brain drain: yet again, Parliament urges the stepping-up of efforts to reduce the negative effects of the brain drain and the exodus of professionals. Assisted return programmes and circular migration schemes should be envisaged.

Responding to the needs of the vulnerable: lastly, Parliament asks that when preparing the new external action instruments for the post-2013 period, that efforts be made to establish more rapid and more effective intervention mechanisms which enable the EU to take prompt action to protect minorities, including religious minorities, or other groups suffering as a result of instability. Measures should, in particular, be taken in regard to climate change, deforestation, desertification and biodiversity loss. Parliament also stresses the importance of policies in favour of victims of torture and asylum seekers.