Paris, Berlin to collaborate on immigration

Published December 14, 2002

PARIS, Dec 13: France has decided to set up joint Euro- charters with Germany in order to easily deport its unwanted aliens back to their home countries.

The practice has also been adopted in conjunction with Spain, with whom France recently deported back to Romania several paperless immigrants — who had entered the two countries with tourist visas.

The practice has been condemned by both pro-immigrant associations and magistrates.

The decision for setting up a joint Franco-German policy on deportations was taken jointly here on Thursday by Nicholas Sarkozy, the French Interior Minister, and Otto Schily, his German counterpart.

The accord flows out of a warming of relations between France and Germany which most recently has seen adopt a joint position supporting Turkish admission to EU.