France to propose EU-wide immigration pact

29 May 2008

LONDON – France will propose a European Union-wide "pact on immigration" when it takes over the bloc’s presidency in July, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

According to the business daily, which cited government documents it had seen, the pact calls for more effective deportation measures, compulsory language lessons for immigrants and the fast implementation of biometric visas.

"Europe does not have the means to welcome with dignity all those who see an Eldorado in it," the document reportedly says, referring to the legendary city of gold.

But the document did also acknowledge the bloc’s need for demographic and economic migration.

As well as the language requirement, the document also called on the EU’s 27 member states to ensure new migrants adopted "national and European values" such as gender equality and tolerance.

It also included new proposals to return unlawful migrants to their home countries more efficiently, the FT reported.

[AFP / Expatica]