COMMITTEE ON
CITIZENS' FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS,
JUSTICE AND HOME
AFFAIRS
Wednesday, 21
March 2001, 9 a.m. - 6.30 p.m.
Rue Wiertz, 60
Paul-Henri Spaak Building, Room PHS 1A2
|
Hearing: 'The
situation of fundamental rights in the European Union and the establishment
of the European area of freedom, security and justice' |
Following the adoption of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights by the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament on 8 December 2000, Parliament now wishes to base its analysis of the human rights situation in the European Union during its annual debate on the various rights set out in the Charter. The report which will be submitted in this context should become a reference document with respect to the implementation of Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on European Union.
The establishment of the European area of freedom, security and justice also represents a priority, according to the conclusions of the October 1999 Tampere European Council. The creation of this area is indissociable from respect for fundamental rights, as is clear from the Preamble to the Charter. It involves:
- the application of a common policy on freedom of movement, asylum and immigration;
- the strengthening of judicial cooperation in civil matters in order to overcome the problems still posed by legal borders in the interest of European citizens, and the strengthening of judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters in order to combat crime more effectively and improve people's security.
In these areas, which are of vital importance to the future of European democracy, the European Parliament considers that it cannot do without the help of the national parliaments. In view of the broad scope and complexity of the issues, the hearing's aim is not to cover all aspects of the theme, but to invite representatives of the national parliaments' specialist committees, on the basis of experiences in their own countries, to focus their contributions on those issues which they consider to be most important in these areas and to reply to questions from MEPs, in particular the relevant rapporteurs (one-minute questions followed by three-minute replies).
As a basis for discussions, experts will be asked to outline the topical issues raised by the items on the agenda. This hearing is also open to representatives of civil society.
Presentations by the external
speakers listed in the programme should not exceed ten minutes and should
relate to a written contribution distributed at the heating.
Agenda:
Wednesday 21
March 2001
9 a.m. - 12.30
p.m. First half-day
'The situation of fundamental rights in the European Union'
9 a.m. Opening of proceedings by Mrs Nicole FONTAINE, President of the European Parliament
9.15 a.m. Address by Mr Antonio VITORINO, Member of the European Commission: 'Enforcement of fundamental rights and establishment of the area of freedom, security and justice: two components of a single strategy'
9.30 a.m. Address by the representative of the Swedish Presidency
9.45 a.m. Presentation by Mr Henri LABAYLE, Professor at the University of Bayonne, France: 'Implementation and monitoring in the Member States of the fundamental rights set out in the European Charter'
10 a.m. Discussion between Members of the national parliaments and of the European Parliament
Other speakers:
- Mr Rayomnd VAN ERMEN, on behalf of the European Civil Society Forum: 'The role of NGOs in monitoring implementation of the Charter in the European Union Member States'
- Mrs Beata WINKLER, Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia: 'Attitudes to ethnic minorities in the European Union: presentation of the findings of Eurobarometer 2000'
- Mrs Monica den BOER, European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, Netherlands: 'The acquis communautaire in the field of justice and home affairs: is it compatible with respect for fundamental rights?'
12.25 p.m. Closing of the first session by Mr Thierry CORNILLET, rapporteur on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union (2000)
------------------------------------------------------
3 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. Second half-day
'The area of freedom, security and justice'
3 p.m. Opening of proceedings by Mr Graham R. WATSON, chairman of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs
A. Immigration and asylum policy
3.05 p.m. Presentation by Mr Kay HAILBRONNER, Professor at the University of Konstanz, Germany: 'New asylum and immigration policies for the European Union'
3.20 p.m. Discussion between Members of the national parliaments and of the European Parliament
Other speakers:
- Mr Johannes van der KLAUW, Representative for Europe of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Brussels, Belgium
- Mr Jan NIESSEN, Director, Migration Policy Group, Brussels, Belgium
B. Judicial
cooperation in criminal and civil matters
4.20 p.m. Addresses by:
- Mr Rainer HÜSSTEGE, Regional High Court, Munich, Germany: 'Judicial
cooperation in civil matters'
- Mr Philippe LABRÉGÈRE, liaison magistrate in Italy: 'Judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the European Union'
- Mr Pietro DI FEDERICO, Professor at the University of Bologna (Italy): 'Public prosecution services and criminal law policies'
5 p.m. Discussion
between Members of the national parliaments and of the European Parliament
6.30 p.m. Conclusions
ANNEX
Hearing secretariat:
|
|
Telephone |
Address |
E-mail address |
|
Claude BRULANT Principal Administrator (Fundamental rights) |
32.2.284.48.48 |
European Parliament Rue d'Ardennes 2 Atrium 764 1047 Brussels |
cbrulant@europarl.eu.int |
|
Sandrine MOROZOFF Secretariat |
32.2.284.38.90 |
European Parliament Rue d'Ardennes 2 Atrium 762 1047 Brussels |
smorozoff@europarl.eu.int |
|
Jutta SCHULZE Administrator (Area of freedom, security and justice) |
32.2.284.25.32 |
European Parliament Rue d'Ardennes 2 Atrium 787 1047 Brussels |
jschulze@europarl.eu.int |
|
Dominique LEPAGE Secretariat |
32.2.284.25.12 |
European Parliament Rue d'Ardennes 2 Atrium 789 1047 Brussels |
dlepage@europarl.eu.int |