EU Wants To Discuss Illegal Migration with Modi Government
BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) hopes it will be able to discuss with the Narendra Modi government this year the issue of illegal immigration from India that has assumed worrying proportions.
With India coming eighth on the list of nations from where most people try illegally to sneak into Europe, the EU feels the dialogue will help in facilitating the migrants to go back.
"A meeting has not been held since July 2012. With the elections now over, the EU is hopeful that the next meeting can be organised soon in Brussels, if possible before the end of the year," EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström told IANS in an interview.
The high-level meetings alternate between Brussels and New Delhi.
"India is a relevant country in terms of irregular migration to the European Union. Around 16,000 irregular migrants from India were found in the EU in 2012.
"Whereas a downward trend can be seen in the last few years in irregular migration from a country such as China, which showed comparable figures in 2010, the flow from India has remained constant. By comparison, around 10,000 irregular migrants from China were found in that year," Malmström told IANS.
In 2012, EU member-states returned around 12,000 Indian citizens found to be staying irregularly. The EU has 28 member-states.
Afghanistan (33,500) and Pakistan (29,000) are the two top countries from where illegal migrants were found staying illegally in EU.
