France, Illegal immigrants - the easily forgotten many

With the financial crisis dominating the recent European Union summit in Brussels, it was easy to miss another important decision that will effect the daily lives of millions living within the 27-nation bloc and even more outside of it.

On Thursday EU leaders rubber stamped the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum.

Some six million illegal immigrants are currently thought to be in the EU and the principle behind the pact is to find a common way forward for the 27 countries to "manage" immigration, set limits and co-ordinate the labour needs of the bloc.

As France currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, it had the job of drawing up the so-called "preamble" to the pact.

And when leaders approved it on Thursday, they were formally recognizing that, "the EU doesn't have the resources to receive decently all migrants hoping to find a better life here."

Cruelly put perhaps, that could be interpreted as a way of keeping the "unwanted" out while welcoming in those deemed "worthy".

Of course a proper in-depth look at the plight of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers isn't really the stuff of sound bites, 700-word posts or even the standard two-and-a-half minute slots on prime time news. But that's about what it got on last night's broadcast here on the national channel TF1.

All the same, and even though it was buried half way through the program, it still drove home just how complex and complicated an issue it is.

Away from political decisions being taken in Brussels, the report took a look at the realities facing refugees in the northern French town of Calais.

There used to be a refugee camp in Sangatte just outside the town. It was closed down in 2002, by the then minister of the interior, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Since that time, those seeking to make the trip across the channel to the El Dorado that is supposedly awaiting them on the other side in Britain, have been forced to camp in the most appalling conditions.

They live in makeshift tents in the open air in an area that has been nicknamed "The Jungle". They're regularly rounded up and hauled off to the nearest police station, only to be released a little later.

Many don't have papers, and if they do, are often from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan or Eritrea, with authorities unwilling or unable to expel them.

With little or nothing to eat, they rely on the generosity of voluntary organizations such as L’association la Belle Etoile, which serves food to ever increasing numbers.

On the day of filming there were more than 500 men, women and children standing in line, waiting.

The goal of those who have already traveled thousands of kilometers is to reach Britain, a country where many are convinced "life is good" according to one of the association's volunteers, Christian Salomé.

"For many, they have the impression that it's a country where everything is perfect," he said.

"When we speak to them, most of them tell us that they have a brother, a friend or someone from their village who's already there, and has passed on the information that the conditions there are magnificent," he added.

Although that's far from being the case as the report made clear, it remains a view clearly held by many who have made the journey this far and are ready in the early hours of the morning to try to stow themselves aboard a lorry bound for Britain.

The reality of what they can expect once there might be far from their dreams, but it surely cannot be as much of a nightmare as they're currently experiencing.

Many arrive in northern France already weak and sick, and volunteers, who have run a local medical center since 2006 simply don't have the resources available to cope.

There are just four showers for 500 people.

"What we can provide here is just a brief shelter, said Mariam Rachid, one of those volunteers.

"We see women and children living under inhumane conditions. It's unacceptable."

After months of traveling to get as far as northern France, in conditions perhaps worse than the ones they're now experiencing, many are prepared to endure even more hardship in the hope of making the 34 kilometers that separate them from their final goal.

The cameras showed one man, whose face wasn't visible, insisting that across the channel awaited a better life.

"In Britain they'll give me money and everything I need to live," he said.

"Are you sure of that?" asked the reporter.

"Yes I'm certain," he replied. "That's why everyone wants to go there."

Of course last night's report is far from being an isolated case, either here in Europe or in many other parts of the world.

But when it's on your own door step - so to speak - it's hard to ignore, at least for the two-and-a-half minutes worth of television airtime it was given in French sitting rooms on Wednesday evening.

Immigration may be a political "problem" but as the report reminded those who were watching, it has a very human face.