EU battles to find common immigration policy
The debate centred on persecuted people seeking refuge, but has been pushed considerably thanks to the rise of the right and their anti-foreigner policies in Europe and the need of governments to be seen to be doing something about terrorism post 9/11.
It's been top of the agenda for ministers from the EU states in recent years and it fell to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to finalise a package of measures last month.
Up to now, the European Parliament has had no power in this area other than to produce reports through its Citizens Freedoms and Rights Committee and then hope someone took notice of them.
Just over 10 years ago, the governments of the EU agreed to cooperate in developing rules on immigration that would apply across the Union. The Commission and the Parliament had no say in this and the work was carried out between the governments.
Then, in 1999, they agreed at Tampere in Finland to move it into the normal EU structures. But first they decided to draw up the basis for what they called an "Area of Freedom, Security and Justice" across the Union much as they had a common market area.
They set themselves a five-year deadline, which is up this month. They have come up with a range of common rules mainly in asylum and immigration and for judicial cooperation on crime.
They had major problems agreeing the rules partly because every government had a veto, there are different legal systems to be taken into account and the countries vary greatly on human rights standards.
The results have come in for much international criticism. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described them as "mean" and Amnesty International said that the Union is not more free, secure or just as a result of the governments' five years' work.
Amnesty says they have linked the fight against terrorism to the fight against illegal immigration and the result is less security for Europe's citizens and less justice for criminal suspects, immigrants and asylum seekers. The emphasis is on keeping people out.
The new rules will be the basis for future developments in freedom, security and justice in the EU. This means that the European Commission will propose legislation while the Parliament and the Ministers can amend it and pass it. The governments' veto will be replaced by qualified majority decisions.
One of the things Liberal and Socialist groups in the next European Parliament will be pushing for is a common migration policy and the setting up something like the "green card" system of the US to allow and encourage people to come to the EU.
While both Fianna Fáil (UEN Union for a Europe of Nations) and Fine Gael (EPP European People's Party) in their election manifestos talk about an EU wide approach to immigration, the groups they belong to in the Parliament have been supportive of the governments' work to date.
Labour party candidates they belong to the Parliament's Socialist group and independents like Marion Harkin believes a change of emphasis is now essential. "With the aging of our populations we need to bring in people", said the North West candidate.
The referendum to change the basis for citizenship she sees as a regressive step and a knee jerk reaction to an issue that has not been debated in public or thought through properly.
