European demonstration in Paris on March 27th, 1999

For an open Europe

After the approval of the Amsterdam Treaty, the policies for immigration and asylum will be determined by the European Union, and thus n° longer by each Member State. We must prevent this « communitarism » of the European Union, due to the Amsterdam Treaty, from lowering the general standard envisaged.

Already, the existing projects for harmonisation outline this common policy : limitation of the admission of foreign people, controls at the outer and inner european borders, increasing precariousness of temporary immigrants, acceleration of the asylum procedure, lowering of the standards of democratic rights currently applied to non-European citizens. All this seems to be the main goals of the Europe of to morrow.

Thus Europe is becoming a continent with a closed door policy against foreigners, against women and men who are victims of injustice or persecutions. At the same time, Europe welcomes the arrival and the settling of foreigners who are needed for its economy, yet it readily rejects them in periods of crisis.

For three years, undocumented immigrants have been fighting to obtain legal status in Europe. They partly achieved it, depending on the local policies of each State. In several countries of the Union, undocumented immigrants occupy public places and/or organise hunger strikes ; in short, they fight for their rights so they can be heard. Couldn't these actions, although scattered, be united to form a large european movement in favour of the rights of foreigners and the legalisation of undocumented immigrants ?

The progressive harmonisation of the european migration policies will be implemented in an essentially repressive way if Europeans and foreigners living in Europe do not define common demands and don't fight together for their approval. Yet, the European Parliament in its resolution of the 17 february 1998 urges « all Members States to proceed to the legalisation of the undocumented immigrants in consideration of human rights and international conventions ». The States ignored this resolution, thus encouraging the continuation of illegal labour.

The defence of foreigners' rights does participate in the fight for an european social policy, respecting women and men who are part of it.

This is why the co-signing organisations of the EU-countries call for a european march on saturday 27 march 1999 in Paris, followed, the day after, by a work meeting in which the representatives of the different countries will inform the others on the situation in their home country and on the current and future actions. Thus, against the States' policy of closing and repression, backed by the Schengen agreements, our organisations together will start to impose to their governments the responsability for the rights and freedom of immigrants.

European march
for the rights and freedom of foreigners
on saturday 27 march 1999 in Paris

• for the respect of freedom of movement
• for an open Europe, respecful of the rights and freedom of
• for the legalisation of the undocumented immigrants
• for the stopping of the deportations and for the return in Europe of the deported
• for the closing of retention centers in the countries where they exist
• for the abolition of the « double peanalty » in the countries it exists

First organisations in Europe to sign