ABSTRACT
The Pre-September 11 Context The pre-9/11 world was an optimistic one for those who favored the development of a common immigration policy for the European Union (EU). Despite the resistance and reluctance of most of the EU’s national governments for more than a decade, by the turn of the century Europe was marching closer to having a unified set of immigration rules regarding whom to let in, whom to keep out, and the rights and duties for admitted immigrants (Givens and Luedtke 2004). Not only was the economic and political context favorable (i.e., left governments in power, economies strong, European integration advancing in other fields), but the EU had also already taken concrete steps towards harmonizing their immigration policies. By early 2001, Europe’s border-free travel zone (the “Schengen” zone) had become a reality, and the EU’s intergovernmental club, the European Council, had agreed upon an ambitious program for immigration policy unification, known as the “Tampere Conclusions” (European Council 1999).
