Brussels, 18/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament was the scene on Tuesday 17 November of a debate between national and European parliamentarians on the Stockholm Programme, which, once adopted by the European Council on 10-11 December, will form the European Union's new five-year plan for Justice and Home Affairs. In general terms, MEPs, whose powers will be increased by the Lisbon Treaty, called for greater cooperation on judicial affairs, although this must not be to the detriment of national traditions and fundamental rights. European Parliament (EP) President Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland) pointed out that the Lisbon Treaty will come into effect in two weeks' time. He said this should mean that migration issues can be tackled on the basis of solidarity, and a better balance struck between the security of citizens (for example, protection of external borders, or tackling cross-border crime) and the protection of their individual rights. The treaty should also make access to justice easier and settle the practical problems citizens have to face. Chair of the civil liberties (LIBE) committee Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (S&D, Spain) stated clearly that there was no question of dissolving national rights in the Union, quite the opposite was in fact the case, since the Lisbon Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights would “improve and enrich them”. It was important to guarantee the “rights of the next generation”, notably in the areas of bioethics and new technologies, he added. Anti Avsan of the Swedish Riksdag said he believed it was “positive to move towards a common area of justice but we must respect certain specificities”. (The Swedish parliament opposes a piece of European legislation on divorce, deeming Swedish law to be more flexible.) He did, however, say there was a certain consensus in favour of abolishing the exequatur procedure and in favour of mutual recognition of court rulings. This view was supported by Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot, who called for “a number of obstacles to be removed”. Raising the tricky issue of the balance between freedom and security, Spanish MEP Carmen Hermosin Bono identified two lines of thought: those who believe we must develop the European area on the basis of security issues and those who think that security needs must not weaken individual rights. Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask thought it was necessary to move “towards normalisation of data exchange for police purposes and common rules on data protection and privacy”. With regard to future legislation, Simon Busuttil (EPP, Malta) pointed out that “finding the balance between freedom and security will not be easy”, and the most important thing was the quality of transposition of European legislation by member states. Annie David of the French Senate said she believed “the security aspects of the programme are worrying” and give the impression of a “fortress Europe”. Alberto Maritati of the Italian Senate opined that “the burning issue is migration”. “We must stop giving priority to trying to stamp it out,” he said, going on: “We cannot allow Europe to flex its muscles and bare its teeth to people fleeing wars”. (B.C./transl.rt)