Brussels, 24/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - In Luxembourg on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 October, EU27 justice and home affairs ministers will be discussing sensitive issues, but are not expected to make any big decisions. Interior ministers will look at the visa facilitation schemes for Balkans countries and the UK's future opt-out of justice and home affairs issues. Justice ministers will examine the new data protection rules and legislation to protect the EU's financial interests.
In September, the Cypriot Presidency of the EU cancelled a meeting of EU ministers due to lack of issues and lack of progress on Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen Area and no progress is expected on this at the meeting in Luxembourg this week. The ministers will postpone until March 2013 the decision about whether or not to let Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen passport-free zone.
The ministers will spend far longer examining the visa-free travel schemes for five Balkans States granted in 2008 and 2009 (Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), some of whose inhabitants are accused of abusing the scheme. Earlier this month, six interior ministers (from Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) sent a letter to the European Commission and Cypriot Presidency asking them to include the issue on the agenda of the meeting and to draw up a report on how the visa-free travel scheme had operated. The six countries have all experienced a rise in the number of asylum requests lodged by people from the five Balkans countries who came to the EU with short-stay visas (ninety-day visas). Last year, the Commission unveiled a draft safeguard clause, in response to discontent from the six countries, which temporarily suspends the visa-free system; but talks are continuing too slowly as far as the six are concerned and they want to reach agreement with the European Parliament by the end of this year. On Wednesday, a European source said that the Parliament had itself wasted time by wanting to bring in the wider question of visa-free travel for non-EU countries being matched by visa-free travel for EU passport-holders, which had simply delayed the introduction of the safeguard clause. The source says the six countries have seen a 60% rise in the number of asylum requests lodged by people from the five Balkans States since the beginning of 2012, and therefore a clear message had to be sent that enough is enough. This is all highly organised, said the source, with most of the people being brought over to the EU being Roma.
Another sensitive issue (although not officially on the agenda) is the British plan to opt out of criminal justice and legal affairs at EU level. Meetings are planned between British home secretary Theresa May and French interior minister Manuel Valls. May is expected to brief her colleagues on her government's plans to use its opt-out on 120 JHA issues from now until June 2014. Under the Lisbon Treaty, London has two years in which to inform the Commission whether it wants to participate in justice and home affairs legislation at EU level, and it has already hinted that it will opt out of a range of measures, including the European Arrest Warrant. No formal request to this effect has been sent by the UK to its EU partners, but a source says the meeting on Thursday will provide an opportunity to discuss aspects of the British opt-out, regretting that London was weakening its own security and potentially also that of its EU partners by opting out of the European Arrest Warrant.
Alongside these issues, the ministers will examine the package of draft asylum legislation (Eurodac, housing conditions, welcome procedures, qualifications and Dublin 2) that should in theory be concluded later this year (some sources suggest this is still tenable). The ministers will discuss Greece and its asylum system, on the basis of a new report by the Commission. Some countries say the new Greek government has made real progress by recruiting border guards and starting to build detention centres. The discussion may signal a change in attitude towards Greece. Other subjects on the agenda on Thursday are the situation in Syria, the introduction of a regional protection system following on from the talks in Nicosia on 23 July this year, and the European Commission's proposals for an EU27 civil protection mechanism.
On Friday, justice ministers are expected to discuss the rather controversial reform of EU data protection rules (a general regulation and a directive on information held by the police and justice systems). This is only expected to be a brief report on progress but a number of countries, France for example, want to express their views. French sources say the question is vast and highly complex and are not expecting any work to be finalised this year or next. Progress reports will also be given on the draft rules to freeze and confiscate the assets of criminal groups and the insider dealing directive. The Commission will present a draft directive on tackling fraud that damages the EU's financial interests, estimated to total some €600 million every year. (SP/transl.fl)