Buttiglione's asylum camps are no quick fix for illegal immigration

5.46.37pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 27th Sep 2004

The controversial idea that the European Union should finance transit camps outside its borders for would-be refugees and migrants to Europe will be discussed at an informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers on Thursday 30th September.

Supporters of the idea include justice & home affairs European Commissioner-designate, Rocco Buttiglione, as well as Austrian, Italian and German interior ministers.

London MEP and European justice spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats Baroness Sarah Ludford strongly opposes their creation, arguing:

"Such proposals for migrant camps outside the EU, now mentioning countries like Tunisia or Libya, just recycle those made by Tony Blair in 2003 for camps in Albania or the Ukraine.Those ideas were comprehensively rejected not only by the European Commission but also by EU prime Ministers at their June 2003 Thessaloniki summit.

"And there were good reasons of principle, legality and practicality for the idea biting the dust last year. These camps not only represent an abdication of our international obligations but would become expensive 'super-Sangattes', a magnet for more migrants and also potentially for criminality with sexual violence, smuggling and trafficking gangs."

"There is certainly an urgent need to reduce illegal immigration, but quick-fix gimmicks are not the answer. Ministers should instead do the hard work of building a coherent and comprehensive asylum & immigration policy, with fair and fast procedures, getting smugglers and traffickers behind bars, opening legal avenues for migration, and combating the poverty and conflict that fuel migration."

Baroness Ludford will put a question on the migrant camp issue to Mr Buttiglione at next week's approval hearing in the European Parliament's civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee. Questions not answered include: would migrants who reach Europe be deported to the camps, which law would apply, who picks up the bills and how would these undeveloped countries cope with processing the claims?

Note to editors

Last week at their party conference the Liberal Democrats passed a motion on asylum and immigration policy,see: http://www.libdems.org.uk/index.cfm/page.news/section.conference/article.7496.