EU to crack down on black labour

By Judith Crosbie

Date: 22/06/06

The European Commission is to call on member states to crack down on the illegal labour market by penalising companies that employ people who do not have the right to work.

In an attempt to tackle the problem of illegal immigration faced across the EU, but acutely at the moment by Spain, Franco Frattini, the commissioner for justice, freedom and security, will next month try to address the "pull-factor" in member states.

"I will make an appeal to all the stakeholders and first of all the industrial associations to make it possible to eradicate, from the inside, the black labour market," he said.

The sanctions would prevent companies from recruiting illegal immigrants and also prevent exploitation, he said. Frattini will propose putting financial sanctions on companies and forcing them to pay for professional training or language courses for illegal workers. But he also favours rewarding companies which do not employ illegals by helping them set up companies more easily in other EU member states.

"Even in my own country [Italy], in agriculture, in public work, in small- and medium-sized enterprises it is quite easy to find a job illegally. Because they cannot be recruited formally they are exploited. Because they are illegal they don't have rights to social service, to education, to learn languages," he said.

Frattini will also propose harmonising member states' co-operation with countries where illegal immigrants come from or where they pass through. He said this type of action had already begun with joint repatriation flights to Armenia and Georgia taking place this week and further flights scheduled in the coming weeks.

The initial proposals come as officials from 13 European states met in Madrid this week (20 June) to decide how to co-ordinate their land and sea surveillance of the west African coast to combat the influx of immigrants into Spain's Canary Islands. The operation, announced last month, will be co-ordinated by Frontex, the EU's border agency, and will be extended to the waters around Malta, which is also tackling an immigration problem. Naval vessels, helicopters, airplanes and experts will be provided by Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and the UK.

An EU-Africa conference in Rabat next month will address the broader issues of migration and development. An action plan will focus on investment in developing countries where immigration stems from, the setting up of a fund for the specific development of rural areas, helping reintegrate those who are sent back to their countries and mounting an information campaign for potential immigrants on the dangers and problems with trying to get into the EU illegally.

Article takes a look at recent initiatives by the European Commission in the fight against illegal immigration and illegal labour markets.