The Institut de Dret Públic (IDP, Institute of Public Law), located at the Parc Científic de Barcelona (Barcelona Science Park, PCB), has conducted a study to analyse the regulation of immigration from the judicial standpoint. Among other issues, it reports the advisability of designing a long-term legislative strategy that defines the basic axes on matters of immigration. The study, entitled "The regulation of immigration in Europe ", has been coordinated by the director of the IDP, Eliseo Aja, and the lecturer in Constitutional Law at the Universitat de Barcelona (University of Barcelona), Laura Díez.

Edited by the Social Studies Division of the Fundació La Caixa, the study also describes the need to improve coordination between political parties in order to ensure than immigration does not become a focal point of electoral polemic. Immigration is considered a social phenomenon not a political problem

According to the study, it is necessary to increase the participation of regional and local authorities in immigration policies, following the examples of countries such as Germany and Switzerland. In this regard, and on the basis of the experience of most of the countries examined, the study concludes that there is a call for collaboration agreements between Spain and the countries of origin of emigration. The study also concludes that it is imperative to increase coordination between the members countries of the European Union since it is the Union itself that is responsible for legislative matters on immigration.

The electronic version of the study (in Spanish) is available at www.estudios.lacaixa.es