Brussels, 21/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU has put a number of questions on the agenda of the meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Athens on 23 and 24 January, like the future of justice and home affairs policies, the future of the EU's policies on asylum, terrorism, border controls, reform of protection of privacy and the global aspects of this.
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding wants the meeting to be decisive when it comes to data protection, but she could well be disappointed.
The genuinely important meeting for Reding will take place in Athens on Wednesday 22 January. The Greek and Italian Presidencies of the Council and the two EP rapporteurs, Jan-Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, Germany) and Dimitrios Droutsas (S&D, Greece) will meet the commissioner to discuss the timing of reforms. Reding wants agreement to be reached as soon as possible as she will be leaving her job as commissioner by 17 April to stand in the European elections if she is chosen to top the Luxembourg Social Christian list (CSV) and she therefore wants the EP to confirm in an upcoming plenary the decision taken in October at the EP's civil liberties committee.
The Council of Ministers will not move as fast as this. It is planning to reach a partial general approach in March at a formal Council meeting, but only on the aspects of the reform process examined by the Irish Presidency a year ago. A Council source commented that, on the question of whether an over-arching agreement would be reached before the European elections, the answer is no.
Important issues will be discussed on Thursday 23 January, like the agreements on sending personal information about European passport-holders to other parts of the world, the Safe Harbour agreement, for example, and the geographical scope of application of the EU rules (all foreign companies providing services to European consumers are expected to comply). Reding's circle does not have high hopes, not expecting any surprise breakthroughs.
The debate on Friday 24 January on terrorism and border controls may raise again the question of European fighters in Syria. Several EU interior ministers have reported over the past week increasing numbers of young European passport-holders going to fight in Syria. On Tuesday, a number of ministers, like France's Manuel Valls, were not planning to attend the Council meeting in Athens. (SP/transl.fl)