Combating illegal immigration: financial penalties imposed on carriers. Initiative France

The Council held an exchange of views on outstanding issues as regards a draft Directive on the harmonisation of penalties imposed on carriers transporting into the territory of the Member States third-country nationals lacking the documents necessary for their admission. At the end of these discussions, and given the reservations expressed by three delegations, the Council agreed to return this issue to the Permanent Representatives Committee so that it could work out alternative wording which might be satisfactory to all the delegations. The reservations entered by the three delegations mentioned above related to the financial penalties, and particularly the sum of EUR 5000 per stowaway proposed by the Directive, respect for the practices of the Member States when the person being carried submits an asylum application or is admitted to the territory of a Member State, and a question of a legal nature for one Member State whose legal system does not contain provisions imposing fines on carriers.�