ELDR theme resolution - Free Movement, Immigration and Social Cohesion

Time for part three of our review of the ELDR theme resolution, due to be debated next week in Helsinki...

Free Movement, Immigration and Social Cohesion

• Notes that the free movement of people between member states is fundamental to the political and economic goals of the EU and the well being of its citizens;
• Notes and welcomes the extension of qualified majority voting to issues of immigration and asylum under the Lisbon Treaty and supports the provisions in the Stockholm Programme for the development of a comprehensive and sustainable European migration and asylum policy framework;
• Notes that immigration and asylum are often confused so that the distinction and reasons between the two are lost;
• Notes that a large number of immigrants come to the EU on the grounds of marriage and family reunification. We support the human right to family life, but this should not be used as an easy alternative to formal immigration procedures;
• Considers that the free movement of people within the EU is vital for continued European integration and prosperity and calls for the rights of all EU citizens from old and new member states to be harmonised as soon as possible, notably the right to work in all member states;
• Considers that proposals for EU cross-border health care, currently being blocked by European socialists, must come into force as soon as possible in order to provide more effective and efficient forms of treatment;
• Considers that a broader review of labour market policies is needed to address the issue of migrants often filling low paid, low skilled service sector jobs;
• Considers that the introduction of flexicurity, will make member states’ social security systems more sustainable, while guaranteeing a fair level of social welfare to citizens in need and promoting employability in a more flexible job market;
• Calls for, in line with the Stockholm Programme, the creation of flexible immigration systems that are responsive to the priorities, needs, numbers and volumes determined by each member state and which enable migrants to take full advantage of their skills and competence. To this end supports the migration of skilled workers into and between member states, both in the short-term, post recession period, and in the longer-term, through a blue card scheme that is administered by each EU country to ensure measured economic migration;
• Calls for appropriate and effective integration programmes at the national level, including linguistic, cultural and educational elements, to enable immigrants to contribute actively to our societies, economies and welfare systems;
• Calls on immigrants to EU countries to participate actively in society with the expectation that they will respect the fundamental values and rule of law of the society in which they live;
• Calls for an EU framework and qualifying period of eligibility to receive social welfare benefits for those immigrants of working age and capability coming to the Union as part of a family reunification process and who are reluctant to actively seek employment;
• Calls for greater efforts to ensure the compatibility of member states’ national social security systems, including pensions and unemployment benefits;
• Calls for the establishment and full implementation of a Common European Asylum System to ensure the same level of treatment of asylum seekers across all member states with regard to reception conditions, procedural arrangements and status determination. This system will ensure that only people fleeing from a justifiable fear of persecution are granted asylum;
• Calls for coherent policies at EU and national level to promote and encourage the participation of young people in the labour market, education and training, including, at EU level, additional funding for student exchange programmes to develop a more mobile and knowledgeable workforce;
• Calls for greater flexibility of labour market rules while providing a good level of social protection.

There are some issues of potential difference here. The call for freedom of labour movement across the European Union seems to indicate that accession countries should receive the full benefits of a freely mobile workforce immediately, and whilst Liberal Democrats might feel that this is a price worth paying, it wouldn't be universally popular.

Calling for greater compatibility between the various national social security is interesting, and might be seen as a logical step towards a fully-integrated labour market. However, it does smack of interference in the right of sovereign states to decide for themselves the level of benefits they can afford to provide.