The European Union’s heads of state and government summit slated for Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels, is expected to endorse the European Pact on immigration and asylum tabled by France. However the global financial crisis in the world may overshadow the debate on immigration. The ban on massive regularisations which Paris was so keen on has been removed from the Pact due to be submitted for approval by the European heads of state and government, with member states being urged to regularise on a case-to-case basis. The European Pact on immigration and asylum is a road map setting five priorities on immigration; legal immigration and integration, fight against illegal immigration, the tightened control at European borders as well as asylum and synergies between migration and development. Although the document states that the Pact is seen by the EU and member states as a genuine common policy on immigration and asylum “guided by a spirit of solidarity among member states and cooperation with outside countries”, human rights’ organisations have slammed the pact which, according to them, only seeks to protect European borders.
