The French ambassador to Bolivia claimed Wednesday the approval of the latest immigration policy by the European Parliament (EP) aims to protect illegal immigrants from labor exploitation.
The approval of "the Directive of Return will enable us to work better against labor exploitation," French Ambassador to Bolivia Alain Bouquet told the press, since "many European businessmen take advantage of the illegal condition of the undocumented persons and exploit them at work."
The European Union policy is to improve working conditions of the immigrants, thousands of whom are from South America, he said.
"It is important to make it clear that it is not the intention of the European countries to arbitrarily expel the undocumented, but it is a matter of legal safety," Bouquet stressed.
On Wednesday, the EP approved the Directive of Return, which was endorsed by interior ministers of the EU's 27 member countries in Luxembourg earlier this month.
The tough new immigration rules will allow detention for up to 18 months prior to deportation, among other measures.
Bolivian President Evo Morales condemned the Directive of Return on June 16, considering it violates the international principles of human rights, warning his country would impose the same rules on Europeans if the EP approves it.
There are thousands of Bolivians living in Spain, Italy and France, most of them illegal.
Source:Xinhua
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