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Busuttil proposes burden sharing to EP
By MaltaMedia News
Sep 16, 2008 - 12:17:21 PM
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MEP Simon Busuttil, who is the European Parliament’s rapporteur on a common European immigration policy, has tabled proposals in the European Parliament to create a burden sharing mechanism which would enable EU Member States to take immigrants from those Member States that are facing a disproportionate burden from immigration.
The proposal was submitted in the form of amendments to the 2009 EU budget. It is also co-signed by another three MEPs from Spain, Greece and Cyprus. It proposal calls for the setting up of an European resettlement programme whereby EU countries would be able to host refugees and beneficiaries of international protection from other EU countries, such as Malta, which are facing a disproportionate burden. The scheme would be operated at European level on a voluntary basis.
Although many EU Member States already operate, on an individual basis, their own resettlement programme, to date there is no real co-ordination at an EU level and no EU initiative which caters specifically for the resettlement of refugees within the EU.
The proposed mechanism would be put into operation on a test basis so that it may eventually be pursued on a regular basis under a European Common Asylum System. The proposals will first be debated the Parliament’s Budgets Committee in the coming weeks.
Mr Busuttil said, “This will not be easy and we will need all the support that we can get. Getting other countries to share the burden is easier said than done. They all feel that they have problems of their own with immigration. But this is another attempt to overcome this long-standing resistance.”
© Copyright 2008 by MaltaMedia.com
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Latest update:
Sep 18, 2008 - 11:01:31 AM CET
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