THE thoughts of many of us will shortly be turning to carefree days on sun-drenched beaches and other delights as the great holiday exodus gets under way.

Anyone from Bolton going to Spain this summer, though, is likely to be greeted by something that will seem strangely familiar -- a great public outcry about illegal immigration.

It will be a similar picture for local people travelling to Italy, France or other popular European holiday destinations. That's because illegal immigration is not just a British problem, it is a Europe-wide problem, which demands a Europe-wide solution.

EU heads of government put asylum and immigration at the top of their Summit agenda when they met in Seville at the end of last month. Reflecting the urgency of the current situation, they agreed a series of measures to tackle the problem of illegal immigration.

Firstly, the 15 EU member countries will begin joint operations on Europe's external borders by the end of the year to tighten security. Secondly, there will be action on visa controls, and all EU agreements with third countries will include a migration clause and a commitment from them to re-admit illegals. Finally, the heads of government set a timetable for decisions on common rules and standards for promising asylum applications across the EU.

These moves are not designed to prevent legal migrants and genuine asylum seekers coming into Europe. On the contrary, they specifically target illegal entry and false asylum claims that are so damaging to the interests of genuine newcomers.

Legal immigration into Britain and Europe has a long and proud history. Migrants bring major benefits to our countries, both culturally and economically. Indeed, some of our most vital public services would be unable to function without them. And a steady influx of migrant labour will become even more important in the future as Europe's population ages.

The measures agreed at the EU Summit should help to crackdown on people-traffickers -- the highly organised international criminal gangs that trade in human misery. They prey on the desperate and the dispossessed, charging them thousands of pounds to gain illegal entry into Europe, by exploiting weaknesses in the existing asylum and immigration system.

Action at national level against the people traffickers won't work on its own. A co-ordinated approach right across Europe offers the only possible solution. And in Seville last month, EU leaders finally showed clear signs of starting to get a grip on an issue that is of so much concern to their citizens.

Gary Titley, Labour MEP for the North-west