Because the European Union’s Nice Treaty bans EU harmonized passports, the European Commission’s lawyers are trying to develop legal proposals for the creation of a high-tech EU passport as the US imposed deadline of October 2004 for passports to include biometric data approaches.

EU officials concede that it will be impossible for the EU to be ready for the passport deadline in October.  It is likely that there will be Trans-Atlantic talks this summer between the US and EU in order to postpone the October deadline.

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Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark was elected on promises to restrain immigration in order to improve the integration of those refugees and immigrants already in the country.  The Danish Prime Minister is fulfilling these campaign promises due to legislation introduced by his government, which would strip the children of foreigners of their right to automatic citizenship.

Despite criticism from international humanitarian organizations, Denmark has its goal of drastically reducing the number of immigrants.  The far-right Danish People’s Party (DPP), who is behind the new legislation, has called for a halt in immigration.  DPP spokesman have stated that obtaining Danish Nationality is not a guaranteed right and automatically awarding Danish citizenship is unconstitutional.

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Aiding migrants in illegally entering Europe is a highly lucrative source of revenue for organized crime rings in Tunisia.  Therefore, Tunisian lawmakers have passed a law that is aimed at breaking up gangs involved in people-trafficking and stopping illegal immigrants who use the North African country as a ‘backdoor’ into Europe.  The law provides for authorities to have tighter control and the authority to impose harsher penalties for criminal networks that are suspected of engaging in people-trafficking.

Another law, which was passed several weeks ago, provides for authorities to maintain a logbook for every sea-going vessel in the country to help determine liability in the event a vessel is used to illegally carry passengers to Europe.  Tunisia’s 800 miles of coastline face Italy, and hundreds of individuals attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe each year.