At the 2873rd JUSTICE and HOME AFFAIRS Council meeting in Luxembourg, on the 5th and 6th of June 2008, the Council underlined the importance of continuing the dialogue, partnership and cooperation with third countries on migration issues in a comprehensive and regionally balanced manner.
The Council also reaffirmed that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants, the Geneva Convention and due access to asylum procedures lie at the basis of the European Union’s migration policy. Moreover, it reiterated its commitment to take forward the EU migration missions to priority third countries as confirmed by Permanent Representatives Committee in April 2007 and April 2008. The follow up process should be delivered according to the “Guidelines for the follow up to
EU missions to Africa on Migration issues” .
The Council believes that EU migration missions should, in principle, also be applicable to the Eastern and-South Eastern regions neighbouring the EU, in case they can have added value and could give renewed impetus to existing channels for dialogue on migration.
The Council also underlined the importance of the Migration routes approach and the need to obtain an adequate evidence base for these routes and stated that country specific approaches should be developed. Experience in applying the Global Approach to Migration in Africa and the Mediterranean should also be taken into account.
Furthermore, the Council encouraged the expert meetings to pursue the implementation of the Rabat Action Plan and to prepare the second Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development, to be held in Paris in October 2008.
The full version of the Council Conclusions are available here – pdf
