A proposal for the creation of a joint border police unit to crack down on illegal immigration at airports in the EU features as part of a plan drawn up by five European countries looking at ways of creating a common EU border guard.
Italy's Interior Minister Claudio Scajola told delegates at a conference in Rome that Europe should not be turned into a fortress, but should become an integrated model that would guarantee the security of citizens within the common space.
Scajola presented a feasibility study and pilot project just weeks before a European Union summit in Seville, Spain, where immigration is expected to top the agenda.
The feasibility study carried out by Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany and France stresses the need for co-operation over the creation of a European corps of border guards, an issue that has sparked opposition over concerns of national sovereignty.
An Italian official at the conference said the proposed EU border police unit would operate at the region's sensitive airports and would comprise agents from those countries who choose to participate in the pilot project.
The Spanish Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy said the route most exploited by illegal immigrants, or those who enter normally but become illegal immigrants, is through airports. Internal security has become an EU priority since the September 11 attacks on the United States and since far-right parties across Europe jumped in popularity due to their anti-immigration and anti-crime platforms.
Earlier this month, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, proposed the 15-nation body should have a common border guard by 2007, paid for by all member states.
Common legislation, shared information and a mobile police rapid reaction unit that would deal with immigration and trafficking emergencies, are among other proposals included in the plan. Airports are singled out as one of the main problems and the project was put forward as a possible solution.