Strasbourg/Brussels, 14/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 14 June, the conference of presidents of EP groups decided to suspend talks between the EP and Council on five dossiers relating to home affairs. This decision was a reaction to the outrage MEPs felt they had suffered in Luxembourg on 7 June regarding the future rules of the Schengen area. The Council had decided to amend the legal base of the proposal on evaluation of the Schengen system, opting for consultation procedure instead of the codecision procedure initially requested by the Commission - a choice that the political groups greatly criticised on 12 June during a plenary debate (with only the ECR Group taking a more mitigated stance). The ECR is, moreover, the only group not to have backed the request to suspend negotiations on these five dossiers, an EP source states.
According to the decision taken by the conference of presidents, MEPs will suspend their work until the Council goes back on its choice of legal base. This mainly concerns the reports on amendments to the Schengen border code and the convention for application of the Schengen agreement (Georgios Papanikolaou report), on attacks against information systems (Monika Hohlmeier), on European criminal investigation decisions (Nuno Melo report), as well as reports relating to the budget for 2013 for international security action and the future European PNR (Passenger Name Record) system (report by Timothy Kirkhope).
The presidents also decided to suspend legislative procedure concerning two particularly sensitive reports on: - the mechanism for evaluating and monitoring Schengen (Carlos Coehlo) and on reintroduction of internal border controls (Renate Weber). These two dossiers were to be put to the vote by MEPs in plenary in July. That at any rate was what was initially foreseen by the EP committee on civil liberties before the conference of presidents decided on a strategy for freezing the two dossiers and withdrawing them from the agenda.
The conference of presidents has not given its stance on taking possible court action against the Council before the EU Court of Justice, as requested in recent days by several MEPs. This course of action has not been ruled out or supported, an EP source states, saying it is rather considered at this stage as being somewhat premature. Another source believes that, in order to go before the Court, the Council must first of all formally give its position on the subject - something which to date has not been done either on the evaluation mechanism or on the Schengen border code and amendments allowing new internal border controls. These two draft laws were the subject of general guidelines only. Also, in the meantime, the Council is urged to put to Parliament “proposals” likely to reactivate negotiation.
The EP's decision, which President Martin Schulz described as “extreme” like the 7 June decision by home affairs ministers, was openly criticised by the ECR Group. In a press release, it accuses its counterparts of having adopted a childish attitude and of having compromised the safety of Europeans. José Manuel Barroso gave his support to the EP, deeply deploring the decision taken by the Council on the Schengen-related proposals.
The Danish Presidency regretted that talks with the EP had been suspended and considered it “unfortunate” that the EP had penalised it on dossiers that, although limited in number, were important. Danish Minister Morten Bodskov mainly cited the European criminal investigation decision or that on European PNR. The president-in-office said it was in everyone's interest for good cooperation to be maintained between Council and EP, especially in times of crisis. The presidency points out that this has always been its aim and that it will continue in its endeavour to keep to this in other areas also. (SP/CG/transl.jl)