Shared rules on immigration
Shared rules on family reunification have been agreed on at the EU level, which is part of a comprehensive cooperation on the combat of illegal immigrants.
In the area of immigration shared rules on family reunification have been agreed on, as well as on the rights of immigrants with long-term residency in the EU.
Rules on entry and residence for students and researchers have also been agreed on.
The question of entry and residence continues to be raised by the EU ministries with responsibility for immigration, including whether there should be uniform rules on matters like green card schemes. The European Commission has published a policy plan on the subject.
Read about the adopted legislation and the EU Commission's policy plan here.
The combat of illegal immigration - Schengen cooperation
As the EU is a shared travel area, partners must cooperate on who enters the area. There is a basic principle that it is the EU who should control immigration to the Union, and therefore illegal immigration must be combatted.
In recent years this has involved an increased collaboration of border controls, with operations and projects having been carried out at borders of sea, land and air. This work has also involved shared training courses, risk analysis studies and a border control agency, of which Denmark is part of.
This is also cooperation in the area of repatriation. Up to the present time, the Council of Europe has authorised the Commission to handle repatriation agreements with 11 countries: Morocco, Sri Lanka, Russia, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Macau, Ukraine, Albania, Algeria, China and Turkey. Final agreements have been made with Hong Kong, Macau, Sri Lanka, Albania and Russia.
A new shared visa database (VIS) containing information from Schengen nations on rejected and issued visas is to be introduced in 2007. The shared system will increase security in the member states by offering more potential for controlling who travels into the area and resides here. The system will eventually contain passport photographs and fingerprints.
There will also be a revised version of the Schengen Information System (SIS II), which will implement shared criteria for the notification of unwanted immigrants.