EU row over plans for asylum camps

EUROPEAN Union leaders clashed yesterday over a plan to set up camps in North Africa to process immigrants and asylum seekers to help stop the flow of illegal migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.

Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Antonio Vitorino proposed five pilot projects to set up processing centres in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania, officials said.

But French Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin said he was totally against the idea.

One EU official said an agreement had been reached to launch the pilot projects, but it was unclear if the plan could go ahead without France’s backing.

“We are not taking part in this plan,” de Villepin said. He said “further study” was needed on the divisive pilot plan.

The idea of setting up camps outside of the 25 nation bloc for the purpose of weeding out illegal immigrants was pushed by German Interior Minister Otto Schily, who presented his ideas during the meeting.

He told the EU ministers they “could not wait” and needed to act fast to prevent further deaths of migrants trying to get to Europe, across the Mediterranean.

Ruud Lubbers, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the EU ministers he was in favour of the pilot projects in principle.

The debate over the camps dominated two days of talks in the Dutch resort of Scheveningen on how EU nations can cooperate to come up with common policies on immigration and asylum.

Germany, backed by Italy, floated the idea in wake of a wave of landings by hundreds of illegals on the Italian coast this summer.

Several African countries, including Libya and Kenya, have been touted as host countries for the suggested camps, while Ukraine has been mentioned as a possible host country to handle refugees fleeing the conflict in Chechnya.

The issue has divided the European Union nations.

While Britain and Austria have voiced support for the idea, France, Spain and Sweden are hesitant to accept the idea.