During its presidency of the 27-member European Union, France will push for the adoption of a "European pact on immigration and asylum", which, if passed, will confirm a hardening of European policies in this area, according to many observers.

Since his appointment, French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux, arguably one of President Nicolas Sarkozy's most trusted lieutenants, has been working on the pact, which will be officially presented at a meeting of 27 ministers in charge of immigration issues slated for on July 7 and 8 in Cannes, southeastern France, according to official sources.

The pact is loosely based on the so-called "selective" immigration that President Nicolas Sarkozy has been trumpeting since 2003, long even before he was elected president. The controversial proposal has seen Sarkozy being accused of seeing immigration in terms of "work at the expense of family and the fight against illegal".

"The idea is that in an area where there's free movement such as is the case with the EU, any decision taken by a member state has implications for its neighbors," said Hortefeux in a recent interview, adding, "The situation necessitates the adoption of common rules."

Actually, the Brice Hortefeux-drafted pact is structured around five priority areas and according to its architect, it has,in principle, "obtained a favorable opinion from all the 27 members of the EU."

The pact also seeks to protect Europe by improving the efficiency of border control. "We need to be able to use modern technologies such as biometrics, improved efficiency of the European borders agency Frontex and show more solidarity towards the most vulnerable member," according to Hortefeux.

"It also lays the foundations for a Europe of asylum," said an analyst, noting that, when it comes to handle external refugees, current policies are extremely heterogeneous. On his part, Hortefeux has proposed the establishment of a "support office" to facilitate the exchange of information.

In addition, France will be pushing its 26 partner states to accept the principle of development in solidarity whose main aim is "to build partnerships with countries of origin and transit in order to meet their development needs."

So far, the implementation of the policy, which has encountered a lot of resistance, especially in Africa, has seen France and several other countries enter into agreements to promote the "concerted management of immigration waves".

"The fight against illegal immigration will undoubtedly remain a priority," Hortefeux told reporters last week, noting that this was the most controversial aspect of the pact he was putting forward.

In his proposal, the French minister called on EU member states to desist from carrying out massive regularization of aliens, a clause that has been opposed by both Spain and Italy. Between 2003 and 2007, the two countries regularized over 2 million illegal aliens.

On its part, the Brussels-based European parliament also hardened the common policy on migration last week when it adopted "the return directive", according to observers.

Passed despite resistance from the developing world, the new law, which sets standards for the deportation of undocumented immigrants, will see those who refuse voluntary return detained for up to 18 months before being expelled. The non cooperative returnees will then be banned from stepping on EU soil for 5 years.

The directive establishes minimum rules and does not hamper the application of national laws that are more favorable, as is the case of France, said a Paris-based human rights activist, who at the same time criticized what he described as the establishment a "Fortress Europe".

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2008)