Press Release: Cracking down on illegal employment: Jacques Barrot welcomes the European Parliament’s vote on sanctions against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals

The European Union made a huge step forward in its efforts to tackle one of the main pull factors for illegal immigration, that created by employers providing illegal work. The European Parliament approved a compromise, reached with the Council in December 2008, for a directive providing for sanctions against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals. Parliament's favourable vote paved the way for a first-reading agreement on the so-called 'employer sanctions' directive. The directive will still have to be formally approved by the Council before it can enter into force.

European Commission: MEMO/09/78: Questions and Answers on sanctions against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/78&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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