Brussels, 14/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström informed the European Parliament (EP) civil liberties committee (Libe) of recent home affairs developments and future priorities on Monday 13 September. MEPs expressed their disappointment over the $14 tax for those travelling to the United States (see EUROPE 10212). Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil complained that it was simply a way of reintroducing visas by the back door. “I have conveyed our concern to the US authorities. … This does not help transatlantic travel” which both parties had agreed to enhance, Malmström said. On Swift, she announced that an independent European controller would soon be appointed with responsibility for supervising the retrieval of European data by the US Treasury Department. An interim supervisor began work at the end of August, the Swift agreement having come into force on 1 August. MEPs called for greater transparency. With regard to the persistent problems in the Council over the various Asylum Package proposals, the commissioner pointed out that the European asylum support office should be up and running before the end of 2011, and that a conclusion on the proposal to take asylum seekers' fingerprints (EURODAC) was expected soon. Difficulties remain in Council, however, on the other texts, she said. As for the timetable for implementing the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II), Malmström said that, following the success, “despite some problems”, of the “Milestone I” technical test, the Commission would publish a timetable next month. She also announced that, before the end of September (on 21) the college of commissioners would discuss two of the three PNR package proposals on the exchange of passenger information that the EP called for: on a single PNR format and on mandates for negotiation with the United States, Australia and Canada. The proposal on a European PNR system will come later, after an impact study has been carried out. “We still have a finger on the red button,” warned Sophie In't Veld (ALDE, Netherlands), with the EP not having given its view on the current agreement with the United States on which it has a veto. Malmström said that the loose ends in the draft readmission of illegal immigrants agreement with Turkey were currently being tied up and that this agreement was “in no way related” to any possible visa exemption scheme with that country. The European Commission would like to begin dialogue with Turkish authorities on this issue, so that agreement can be reached “in the not too distant future”, she said. (B.C./transl.rt)