Germany urges EU to back migrant camps

German Interior Minister Otto Schily urged the European Union yesterday to back his idea of establishing immigration "gateways" outside the 25-nation bloc.

The EU's interior and justice ministers will debate the controversial proposal for what critics have branded camps at a meeting in the Hague today and tomorrow.

Under the plan, reception centres would be set up in countries beyond EU borders, notably in North Africa, to process and repatriate those not meeting immigration requirements.

But human rights groups are concerned about Mr Schily's ideas, saying it is unclear whether they would offer refugees adequate protection and would be in line with international law.

"We are jointly of the opinion that the conditions in the Mediterranean call for a solution that stops illegal migration and takes into account the need of the people to be protected," Mr Schily told the home affairs committee of parliament.

"We have to stop people coming to Europe illegally, risking their own lives," said Mr Schily, whose idea has been criticised by the Greens junior coalition partner. "We need to work out a concept that has the joint backing of the EU."

Anti-immigration sentiment has risen in Europe over the last few years and many governments are under pressure to devise ways to curb illegal migration and cut the number of asylum seekers.

A European Commission spokesman said it remained to be seen what exactly Germany was proposing, but implementing such ideas could pose logistic, financial and legal problems.

"We are not comfortable entirely with this camps idea in terms of how this would actually work in practice," he said.

In 2003, Britain was forced to drop similar proposals to set up asylum camps outside the EU after pressure from Sweden and France, which argued they were in breach of international law. The European Parliament also rejected the plans.