EU states clash over employers of illegal migrants

European Union interior ministers clashed today over how employers of illegal migrants should be punished, their latest disagreement over immigration policy.

Twelve states -- including all the EU's Mediterranean nations, which receive flows of illegal migrants by sea -- agreed with EU president France that the bloc should agree criminal sanctions to punish employers of illegal migrants.

But eight others, including Germany, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands, have opposed the idea of an EU-wide measure, saying each country should be free to decide how to handle the issue.

EU states also disagreed about a French proposal for an EU-wide objective of sending inspectors to at least 5 percent of companies in sectors with the highest levels of illegal employment, which often include construction, hotels and agriculture.

"There are other ways to fight illegal employment ... minimum criminal measures are not justified," German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told ministers in a televised debate.

Schaeuble also opposed any quota for inspections. "It's not the number which counts but the quality."

The European Union has beefed up its fight against illegal migration over the past few years, but has struggled each time to find a middle ground between diverse national policies.

The European Commission estimates there are up to 8 million illegal immigrants in the 27-nation bloc and says that illegal employment is the main pull-factor for illegal migration.

EU Commissioner for migration Jacques Barrot argued today that criminal sanctions were needed to punish the most serious abuses and discourage hiring of illegal migrants.

Today's discussion was based on a proposal by the EU executive, which would also ban anyone caught illegally employing migrants without work permits from taking part in public procurement contracts for several years. Employers breaking the rules would also be asked to reimburse EU subsidies and pay for plane tickets to send the illegal migrants back to their home country.