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Immigration

3. New approach

Despite the progress, the old divisions in relation to EU immigration policy have continued to assert themselves, as some member states, notably France, have called for tougher action to curb illegal immigration. There are currently an estimated eight million illegal immigrants in the EU, half of whom came in legally but overstayed.

Spain, Italy and Greece are struggling to manage large flows of illegal immigrants from North Africa and other developing countries, some of whom have grounds for claiming asylum. The influx is a concern for other EU countries, as many illegal immigrants end up seeking work further north, in France and the UK, for example.

In September 2006, the then French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy called for EU nations to adopt a common, tough standard in dealing with illegal immigration. "We can't all continue to have our own immigration policies," Sarkozy said, accusing Spain of causing a surge in illegal immigration by offering migrants an amnesty.

When France took over the EU Presidency in July 2008 it began pushing for a European Pact on Immigration and Asylum that acknowledged member states had different approaches to the issue, while reiterating the fact that Europe needs migrants for economic and demographic reasons.

At the heart of the European immigration pact – passed at a European Council Summit in October 2008 – is the idea that European governments should be able to set immigration levels according to their labour needs, based on the assumption that "the European Union […] does not have the resources to decently receive all the migrants who hope to find a better life here".

The pact is meant to strike a balance between the concerns that illegal immigration and asylum-seekers are overwhelming the capacity of some nations to accept them while at the same time keeping open the flow of valuable highly skilled foreign workers to Europe.

In order to achieve these aims, the Pact sets out a number of basic principles for managing migration and calls on the European Commission to come forward with new proposals in five policy areas: legal and illegal migration, border controls, asylum and cooperation with third countries.