Following the decision taken by the Commission on 30 August to set up a temporary task force on the problems of immigration, the Commissioners that compose it met for the first time to review the situation and plan the actions that the European Union is called to take in the near future to tackle the emergency of recent months. The first meeting of the task force, coordinated by Franco Frattini, Commissioner for Justice, Liberty and Security, permitted the most urgent measures in the sectors of the control of maritime frontiers to be identified and the underlying causes of immigration (such as poverty, social exclusion, health and intercultural dialogue) to be analysed. The task force also underlined the need to “optimise” the spending of EU funds where possible (Social Fund, Regional Development Fund). The work of the task force will in large part form the basis of the new Communication on immigration that the Commission has promised to present by the end of the year on the occasion of the summit of heads of state and of government in December. For further information, consult the website of the virtual press room of the European Commission a target=’_blanck’ href=http://europa.eu/press_room/index_fr.htmhttp://europa.eu/press_room/index_fr.htm
