A pan-European visa database, fingerprints in passports and tighter border controls are among new measures needed to stem illegal immigration into the European Union, the European Commission said today.
The EU executive also urged member states to do more to help integrate legal migrants to improve their standing in society and meet future demands for labour in the bloc, which has low birth rates and an ageing population.
The proposals were presented in two new reports on integration and the EU fight against illegal immigration, key areas of the 15-nation bloc's efforts to forge a common asylum and immigration policy by 2004.
"Although we need generous policies on lawful immigration and asylum, we must take determined action in the joint control of our borders and the fight against illegal immigration," said European Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Mr Antonio Vitorino.
EU leaders have pledged to fight illegal migration in the wake of electoral gains by anti-immigration parties and a drop in public support for asylum seekers out of fears that generous national asylum systems were being abused.
But current immigration policies in Europe offer economic migrants few legal ways to enter and have left many thousands seeking a better life in the hands of people smugglers.
To boost a fight against illegal immigration, Mr Vitorino said the bloc should set up a database to hold all visa requests, visas granted and refused and to ensure better controls regarding third country nationals seeking entry into the bloc.
The EU should also include so-called "biometric identifiers", for example fingerprints or iris scanning, in travel documents and residence permits to fight document fraud, a move Germany and France have already called for.