Public opinion towards new migration flows in Europe and the increasing role of the EU

As the European Union moves towards a common set of policies on immi-gration and asylum, increasing attention to public opinion on immigration suggests that public opinion matters (Anderson 1998; Dalton & Eichenberg 1998; Franklin, Marsh & McLaren 1994). Governments often f ind it diff icult to reconcile public concerns about immigration with the EU project of in-ternal free movement for EU citizen