Ministeri Rajamäki to participate in the EU-Africa Ministerial Conference
The first high-level EU-Africa Conference on Migration and Development will be held on 22-23 November in Tripoli, Libya. Mr Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr Kari Rajamäki, Minister of the Interior, will attend the conference as representatives of the Finnish Presidency of the EU.
The aim is for the conference to adopt the Joint Africa-EU Declaration on Migration and Development and the Plan of Action on Trafficking in Human Beings. They will provide a basis for cooperation between the EU and Africa in years to come, and support the Union's effort to strengthen political dialogue on migration and development issues with Africa.
The European Council adopted in December 2005 a comprehensive programme on priority actions for improving migration management which aims at enhancing the dialogue and cooperation, on the one hand with the African States, and on the other hand, with neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean region as a whole. This is also related to long-term cooperation and to the ambition to tackle the root causes of migration from these countries. The Commission will submit a report on related measures to the December 2006 European Council.
Migration flows from African countries to Europe mainly proceed through Morocco andLibya. The principal destination countries are Italy, Malta and Spain. A total of 27,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in the Canary Islands this year. The European Borders Agency, Frontex, has coordinated several operations around the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. As a result of these operations, illegal immigrants have been returned to their countries of origin.
To develop EU immigration policy, Finland has during its presidency launched an initiative on an extended European solidarity in immigration, asylum and border control issues. It is part of a broader set of instruments which also encompasses, for example, the Commission communication on illegal immigration and a Global Approach to Migration. The aim is to address extended European solidarity as part of the review of the Hague Programme at the December Justice and Home Affairs Council. The December European Council will strive to adopt the guidelines on immigration issues.
During the Finnish Presidency, Mr Rajamäki has drawn attention to migration issues, and particularly to the migration flows from Africa to the Mediterranean region, at all meetings of ministers responsible for justice and home affairs.
For further information, please contact Eero Koskenniemi, Governmental Counsellor, tel. +358 9 160 42734 or Johanna Puiro, Senior Officer, +358 9 160 42265 or Kaija Uusisilta, Head of the Information Unit, +358 9 160 42949