Doc. 9648

7 January 2003

A European migration observatory

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mr Iwiński and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.       Migration has always played an important role for Europe and its peoples. The analysis of migration flows, their push and pull factors and their consequences, however, has started only recently at the European level. These studies cover migration flows and types as well as their impact on economics and demography and relations to social and cultural life. National policies on integration of immigrants and acquisition of nationality, and how they were conditioned, are increasingly being examined and compared. At the same time a number of initiatives are being launched with the aim of achieving more orderly migration management.

2.       During the last decade irregular migration and how to come to grip with this phenomenon has become a major political issue that affects to a varying degree all member countries of the Council of Europe as countries of origin, transit or destination or in a mixed capacity. The situation experienced by irregular migrants, who are often subjected to abuse, exploitation and human rights violations, and the frequent links to criminal organisations, raise most serious concerns. The number of local, regional, national, European Union, Council of Europe and other international initiatives aimed at curbing this phenomenon is growing. Despite this, there is little co-ordination among these various initiatives, including the evaluation of their impact, and reliable statistics on clandestine migration are lacking.

3.       The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe already in 1950 addressed a Recommendation to the Committee of Ministers on the urgent necessity of assistance to refugees. In 1951 it constituted a separate Committee on Population and Refugees, which today has developed into a Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography. A major concern of this Committee has been the assessment of migration flows within and into Europe, their positive and negative effects as well as challenges faced by countries and regions of origin, transit and destination, and ways of resolving identified problems.

4.       At the intergovernmental level of the Council of Europe three major events took place during the last decade, namely the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Conferences of European Ministers responsible for Migration Affairs (Athens, November 1993; Warsaw, June 1996; and Helsinki, September 2002). These Conferences confirmed the need for intensified political co-operation on migration issues at pan-European level as well as with non-European countries interested and directly concerned. A political consultation on migration management strategies and on co-operation for their implementation needs to involve countries of origin, transit and destination. Migration policies and laws in member states and the European Union, in particular with regard to immigration control and integration of immigrants, have therefore become central themes in the political debate.

5.       The Parliamentary Assembly proposed to the last Ministerial Conference (through its Chairman of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography) that the Council of Europe, in close co-operation with the European Union and other interested non-European countries, should set up a European Migration Observatory on the basis of an Enlarged Partial or Enlarged Agreement (in accordance with Statutory Resolution (93) 28 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe). This initiative should in particular respond to the identified present and future needs of closer co-operation for the monitoring of migration flows, policies and law among countries of origin, transit and destination.

6.       Such an initiative should guarantee an optimal exploitation of experiences gained by competent authorities and non-governmental organisations at local, regional, national, European or international levels in these and related fields. An efficient information sharing, fully exploiting the potential of new communication and information technologies, would considerably enhance the impact on co-ordinated decision-making regarding migration management. Typical issues within the mandate of the observatory will include the further development of measures for the implementation of an orderly migration management strategy and for the integration of migrants. Finding successful measures to deal with irregular migration constitute another important issue.

7.       A European Migration Observatory should also guarantee a continuous high-level political involvement in matters of migration and population. Regular political encounters should therefore give input and direction to this co-operative effort and also scrutinise and evaluate the work which has been done with a view to facilitating the political decision-making.

8.       The European Migration Observatory could become a most valuable instrument in raising public awareness regarding migration processes, history and effects.

9.       Consequently, the Assembly, referring to its Recommendation 1449 on clandestine migration from the south of the Mediterranean into Europe, and after consultations between its Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography and the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament, recommends to the Committee of Ministers to:

i. intensify the process of consultation among member countries, the European Union and non-European countries interested and concerned with a view to creating a European Migration Observatory;

ii. for this purpose draw up an Enlarged Partial or Enlarged Agreement as set out in Statutory Resolution (93) 28 of the Committee of Ministers for the signature of Council of Europe member States, the European Union and non-European countries, thus creating a closer political and technical co-operation between them;

iii. assure that this co-operation among countries of origin, transit and destination of migration will address problems of common interest with a view to improving the elaboration and monitoring of migration policies and law as well as the orderly management of migration flows. A special emphasis should also be given to the need for information to the public;

iv. invite the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament to follow and debate the activities and functioning of this co-operative Agreement with its European Migration Observatory.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed : 1

Iwiński, Poland, SOC

Agramunt, Spain, EPP

Akselsen, Norway, SOC

Branger, France, EPP

Brunhart, Liechtenstein, EPP

Busić, Croatia, EPP

Christodoulides, Cyprus, UEL

Cilevičs, Latvia, SOC

Danieli, Italy, LDR

Dubié, Belgium, NR

Einarsson, Sweden, UEL

Fernández Aguilar, Spain, EPP

Grzesik, Poland, EPP

Grzyb, Poland, EPP

Ilaşcu, Romania, NR

Jacquat, France, EDG

Kirilov, Bulgaria, SOC

Lörcher, Germany, SOC

Lord Judd, United Kingdom, SOC

Nessa, Italy, EPP

Onur, Germany, SOC

Reymann, France, EPP

Salles, France, EPP

Tkáč, Slovakia, EDG

Vermot-Mangold, Switzerland, SOC

Yáńez-Barnuevo, Spain, SOC

Zapfl, Switzerland, EPP

1        SOC: Socialist Group