Thread: French don’t mince their words on immigration

French don’t mince their words on immigration

European Union leaders are on course to approve a French-inspired pact on immigration policy at a summit in Brussels next month. The text of the pact may undergo changes before the October 15-16 meeting. But for now it looks as if this document will mark a subtle shift in power to national governments from the EU’s policymaking institutions.

That may surprise people who suspect the European Commission, European Parliament and European Court of Justice of constantly finding new ways to grab control of sensitive policy areas. And it is true that ever since 1999, when the EU’s Amsterdam treaty came into force, the pressure in Brussels for a supranational approach to migration, asylum and border management policies has become increasingly strong.

But the French-designed pact, whilst acknowledging the supranational ideal, at certain points just skips right over it. For example, it declares that “it is for each member-state to decide on the conditions of admission of legal migrants to its territory and, where necessary, to set their numberâ€

[quote]“illegalâ€