(EU) EU/ASYLUM/IMMIGRATION: Belgian Minister Antoine Duquesne regrets lack of political determination on part of Member States

Brussels, 10/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - After the decision by European Council President José-Maria Aznar to make immigration a priority theme of the Seville Summit, at the request of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the different Member States express their fears and set out their priorities. Thus, Belgian Interior Minister Antoine Duquesne -the initiator during the Belgian Presidency of a concrete operation in this field called "High Impact" (see EUROPE of 2 March, 2001), and which had already been followed with the Rio I and Rio II operations under Spanish Presidency- regretted the lack of political will and solidarity on the part of the Member States. He stressed during a meeting with EUROPE that asylum, the trade in human beings and the fight against major crime have become very important issues for European citizens. "There is no valid solution other than greater solidarity. We have changed the method of asylum procedure by posing the essential key national issues (…) (with, for example, projects that are before the parliaments or even elections, etc.), and the Commission should already have formulated a new proposal on this", said Mr Duquesne. A delay that Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt had regretted on Tuesday during his meeting with José Maria Aznar and that Leonello Gabrici, spokesman for Commissioner Vitorino, commented by assuring that the Commission would "do everything possible to present a project on common asylum policy by the Seville meeting". On the other hand, MEP Anne Van Lancker (PES, Belgium) blamed the Council of Ministers of the EU15 for this delay in the elaboration of a common asylum and immigration policy. "After the time of Europe of enthusiasm, we are at the time of a Europe that gives cause for concern", as there is growing organised crime, the Mafia is gaining a stronger foothold, and drug trafficking is proliferating, Mr Duquesne declared. He regretted that Europe "had not yet invented a European model of police cooperation". On the other hand, he recalls that a decision was taken on the conditions for hosting immigrants ("which is fine, but not enough"), an agreement was reached on the conditions for family reunification, a choice was made on harmonising asylum procedures, but that there is still no new project of European directive. All this will be on the table of the Justice/Home Affairs Council on 13 and 14 June in Luxembourg, "where we shall see whether we are able to reach agreement", commented Mr Duquesne.

With regard to police cooperation, mainly at external borders, Mr Duquesne stressed the importance of providing for common training (which is the priority mission of the European police college, he recalled) and mixed support teams ("which would not be bad"). This was discussed at the ministerial conference in Rome on 30 May, when Italy (with Belgium, France, Germany and Spain) presented a feasibility study (called Odysseus), and where Austria, Belgium and Finland presented a study on police cooperation (called OISIN). The Commission presented its communication on the integrated management of external borders (see EUROPE of 6 and 7 May, p;9). "There is a legal problem that hides the political problems", Mr Duquesne admits. He noted that, with a view to the JHA Council in Luxembourg, the Council President, Mariane Rajoy, called for a summary of these three texts after the work in Rome. He said "a summary does not mean making a final choice of road", but that there must be overall coherence. The Italian study reveals the extraordinary diversity on the ground, said Mr Duquesne. He went on to add that, with a view to the Seville Summit, "there is some turmoil, which can be explained by a certain number of electoral results in Europe". "When the house is on fire, the question is not that of knowing which service to call but rather just getting help to come", exclaimed Mr Duquesne, calling for everything effort possible to be made, whether intergovernmental, Community or bilateral, in order to achieve real integration.

The Italian feasibility study proposes 15 projects, including: setting in place border police centres, a network of centres on forged documents and a group of experts for external missions; common and coordinated judiciary research concerning cross-border crime and relating to illegal immigration; the creation of a secure and integrated intranet in the various police units of the national borders; personnel exchanges; and rationalisation of repatriation operations. The twelve OISIN projects, mainly concern: the creation of national contact points for the management of borders, an External Borders Forum, and an observatory for migration.