Vitorino back-tracks on immigration plan

Date: 23/11/00

JUSTICE chief António Vitorino has been forced into a humiliating climbdown over plans for a common immigration policy following a barrage of criticism from fellow European Commissioners.

Officials drafting a paper on the thorny issue of allowing legal immigrants into Union countries were sent back to the drawing board after Vitorino's proposals were lambasted as unrealistic.

His draft report set out the arguments for easing restrictions on migration for economic purposes and laid out principles under which member states would allow the admission of skilled labour into the EU. But Vitorino was forced to tear up key elements of the plan days before it was due to be approve by the executive.

The most heavily criticised aspect of the proposals was a suggestion that an immigration element be attached to the Union's existing name-and-shame approach towards coordinating employment policy. Social Affairs Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou was angry that she had not been consulted and argued that as EU countries had different needs when it came to bringing in workers, it would be pointless to compare them.

"It is a situation where benchmarking would not be helpful," said an aide.

Internal market commissioner Frits Bolkestein, budget supremo Michaele Schreyer and enlargement head Günter Verheugen also criticised the plan, saying it was poorly structured.

Attracting skilled foreign workers into the Union is seen as essential to offset the effects of the slowdown in Europe's population growth. Vitorino argues that this goal can be achieved through various measures, including forming partnerships with selected non-EU countries; continuing to accept genuine asylum seekers; and tightening controls to prevent illegal immigration.

The centrepiece of his plans was the link to the 'Luxembourg employment process', which would have required annual assessment reports, but this has now been dropped. His revised paper was approved by the full Commission this week.