The key elements of the plan are: further unifying procedures for handling asylum applications; taking measures to crack down on criminals involved in illegal immigration; boosting border control along EU common borders; closer cooperation with nations that are the main source of illegal immigrates. The EU has established a timetable for completing related concrete measures. This includes developing a plan by the end of this year to send back those illegal immigrants from countries where the reasons encouraging people to flee have largely been removed, such as Afghanistan; reexamining the list of the countries whose citizens need entry visas; and building a uniform system of deporting immigrants who overstay their visas or arrive illegally. The EU will set up a joint database of visa materials by the end of 2003 to uncover people using false papers. At the same time, the EU will hold talks with various countries on taking back their citizens who have become illegal immigrants. By year’s end, it will closely monitor border controls by the establishment of a common border guard corps, and establish a liaison network on immigration. The summit also decided to send more help to southern European countries like Italy, Spain and Greece, which have suffered most from a tide of northern African immigrants for geographical reasons.

As it held the rotating EU presidency for the first half of this year, Spain had suggested cutting aid to poor countries that refused to cooperate with the EU on stopping illegal immigration. However, it was forced to give up the tough measures in the face of French and Swedish opposition. The latter argued that such sanctions could only further impoverish those countries and thereby increase the number of people wanting to leave. Against this background, the summit finally decided to stress reward rather than punishment to control illegal migration. The EU will take measures to encourage those countries that cooperate with it through a rewards system, with political punishment held in reserve in case of failure.

Immigration is not a new issue for Europe. The renewed commitment to cut the flow of illegal immigrants comes after recent election successes by far-right and populist parties across Europe whose anti-immigrant platforms struck a chord with voters. The most typical example is Jean-Marie Le Pen, who defeated Lionel Jospin, an austere hard-core old-style socialist, in the first round of the French presidential election based on a far-right anti-immigration approach. Le Pen’s success not only triggered a “political earthquake” in France, but also sent shockwaves throughout the EU. In Austria, Joerg Haider’s Freedom party won seats in a new Austrian government by advocating an immigration freeze and opposing the enlargement of the EU on the grounds that it could open Austria to a deluge of cheap foreign labor.

In Netherlands, in March's municipal elections, by holding high the banner of anti-immigration, Pim Fortuyn's List party, with only a few months’ history, became the second largest party -- “a black horse” -- in Netherlands politics. Fortuyn, however, was assassinated for his views.

Meanwhile in Denmark and Germany, the far-right parties all shouted out anti-immigration slogans. Faced with rising trend of far-right power, European countries have to find a proper way to deal with it.

As a result of the propaganda of the far-right party as well as the media’s huge coverage, the majority of EU citizens tend to blame all social ills on immigrants no matter what the reality. In order to calm the people and gain points for their political future, EU leaders, of course, will take it very seriously.

In fact some European countries have adjusted their immigration policy in recent years. Britain, Sweden, Finland and Netherlands are drafting immigration laws with more limitations. Belgian, Spain and Greece are growing tough. Italy is preparing to wipe out illegal immigrants and relevant regulation has been passed. It is agreed that EU leaders will get tougher on illegal immigrants and crack down harshly on the criminals who abet their entry. But this has also aroused some worries. UN officials and some visionary politicians have pointed out, immigration controls might not solve the problem; rather, the best solution is to help poor countries to develop their economies so as to get rid of poverty. They strongly oppose sanctions against any country that fails to stop its citizens becoming illegal immigrants elsewhere.

However the action plan endorsed by EU focuses on balance between harsh treatment of illegal immigrants and assimilating those who have entered legally. On the one hand, illegal immigrants must be curbed; on the other hand, measures must be taken to help legal immigrants to fully enter local society. The EU is trying hard not to mix legal immigrants and illegal immigrants together and give up eating for fear of choking because the smooth economic development of Europe would have been impossible without the cheap labor of immigrants in recent decades. The point now, however, is that, in the so-called information era, the immigrants Europe needs are not laborers any more, but skilled people in the field of high technology.

(By Yao Li, staff reporter of 人民日报 [People’s Daily] in Belgium, translated by Zheng Guihong for china.org.cn, July 3, 2002)