15th EPP Congress
Our future: A strong Europe
17 - 18 October 2002
Estoril - Portugal

Resolution adopted by the 15th EPP Congress
Illegal immigration


The European Union is strongly committed to sustainable and harmonious development throughout the world, and allocates large human and budgetary resources to its co-operation policy with developing countries, in this way addressing the deep roots of many of the problems and challenges confronting us.
Many are the acts and declarations of the European Union’s institutions in which immigration is considered to be without doubt beneficial to the Union, since it enriches our social, cultural, economic and political life.
The objective of the integration of migrants in our societies requires decisive political action from all parties concerned. Combating illegal immigration and the human dramas linked to it, appear a key element of this task.

Therefore the European People’s Party :

• expresses its concern and strongly rejects illegal immigration and the trafficking in human beings and all associated phenomena, such as organised crime, drug trafficking and corruption.
  
• urges the development of relations between the EU and third countries based in a spirit of partnership and co-responsibility when addressing this issue; the parties involved should bear their respective responsibilities and share the burden of the common tasks.
  
• believes the Union shall establish adequate mechanisms and use existing ones in its relations with third country partners to address these problems; the fight against illegal immigration needs to be included in the framework of Association and Cupertino Agreements between the Union and its partners, in the spirit of the Conclusions of the Seville European Council (June 2002).