The launch last week by Nicolas Sarkozy of a suggested immigration policy for the European Union – intended to be a cornerstone of the forthcoming French presidency of the EU – is to be welcomed, at least up to a point. It is an important debate, so important that it needs to be carefully framed: it is time to scythe down the thickets of prejudice and urban myth about the presence of immigrants in Europe, as well as devise a workable policy response in keeping with the sorts of society Europeans want.

Faced with growing economic stress, a gathering backlash against globalisation and flawed integration strategies, the EU really needs to get immigration right.