COUNCIL OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION

 

Brussels, 6 July 2010

 

 

 

 

11864/10

 

 

LIMITE

 

 

 

 

 

COSI 47

ASIM 83

FRONT 107

COMIX 479

 

 

NOTE

from:

Spanish delegation

to:

COSI

No. prev. doc.:

8852/10 COSI 24 ASIM 48 FRONT 57 COMIX 321

Subject:

Draft position on Spain's assumption of the role of lead country in the implementation of one of the Council conclusions on 29 measures aimed at strengthening the protection of external borders and combating illegal migration

- conclusion 4

 

 

Following the decision taken at the 25th June COSI meeting that Spain should assume the role of lead country in the implementation of one of the Council conclusions on 29 measures aimed at strengthening the protection of external borders and combating illegal migration (included among the responsibilities of the COSI Committee), the Spanish delegation informs delegations that it is possible to carry out the task with regard to Conclusion 4 concerning the improvement of operational cooperation with origin/transit Third Countries, in order to improve joint patrolling by land and sea.

 

Spain is actively involved in measures concerning the establishment of a similar network to the Atlantic Seahorse Network (ASN) but, in this case , covering the Mediterranean Sea. In this regard, a conference was held on 29th and 30th March in Madrid in order to announce the possibility of implementing a communication network involving all the Coast Guard agencies or similar institutions in the Mediterranean countries, including the aforementioned third countries.

 

This conference was attended by FRONTEX, EUROPOL and EUROPEAN COMMISSION representatives. The current aim is to encourage new countries, both EU and third countries, to join and obtain funding from the Commission in order to establish the network.

 

Practical implementation of conclusion 4 should aim to :

 

·            Raise awareness among third countries from the Mediterranean area, through the historical links they share with EU countries, on the advisability of their joining the project.

·            Bearing in mind that this project is aligned with Objectives 3 and 6 of EUROSUR Project, request the Commission to consider possible funding options, mainly as regards third countries.

 

The Spanish PoC would be the Guardia Civil Borders Command Office:

dg-jeffiscalyfronteras@guardiacivil.org.

 

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