Migrants in irregular employment in the agricultural sector of southern European countries

Parliamentary Assembly
Assembl�e parlementaire

Migrants in irregular employment in the agricultural sector of southern European countries
Recommendation 1618 (2003)

Doc. 10139
16 April 2004

Reply from the Committee of Ministers
adopted at the 881^st meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (14 April 2004)

1.       The Committee of Ministers joins the Parliamentary Assembly in its concern about the living and working conditions of undeclared migrant workers. It is aware of the problem of clandestine employment throughout Europe, and in certain regions in particular, and agrees on the need for transparent and coherent recruitment policies ensuring access to social and labour rights expressed in the recommendation. These general concerns also apply to seasonal workers, for instance in the agricultural sector in Southern Europe, in so far as they are not regularly declared.

2.       The need for effective migration management strategies has been felt for some time and the Helsinki Ministerial Conference on Migration in September 2002 confirmed the member states’ resolve to implement co-operative migration management. In the framework of the follow-up to the Final Declaration of the Helsinki Conference, the programme of activities has focused on the promotion of migration management strategies and on the development of channels for legal migration, as well as the elaboration of clear rules for recruitment and legal status of foreign workers, and effective access to social rights for immigrants. In this context, the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) will take into account the Assembly’s Recommendation when implementing its programme of activities. The Committee of Ministers also draws the Assembly’s attention to the 2003 research topic of the European Population Committee entitled "Labour Migrant flows in Europe: patterns and trends".

3.       Finally, the Committee of Ministers takes note of the opinion of the Assembly that signature and ratification of the United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families should be encouraged. Present obstacles to ratification of this instrument by the European States should be analyzed.