Brussels, 01/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - Friday's JHA Council at Home Affairs Minister level took the decision no longer to impose a visa obligation on Bulgarian nationals. Romania will also be on this "positive list", but between asterisks meaning that the lifting of the visa obligation will take effect at a later date, once the Romanian authorities have provided proof that they can proceed with satisfactory controls at their borders and, consequently, stem the passage through Romania of unwanted immigrants, put illegal immigration networks out of action and genuinely subscribe to readmission agreements. The Commission will, within the next two months, send a questionnaire to the Romanian authorities to see how they are going about satisfying these demands.
In the case of Bulgaria, the Fifteen considered - notably in the light of the results of a visit by Belgium's Home Affairs Minister to the country - that there had indeed been progress on this issue. The Commission will only be asked to go and check on the ground that this is indeed the case. If so, the abolition of the visa obligation for Bulgarian nationals may take effect as soon as the EP has issued its new Opinion. The abolition of the visa obligation could therefore take effect in May.
EUROPE will return to the other results the Ministers of Home Affairs achieved.
Justice Ministers call on IGC to incorporate Eurojust in Treaty
At the press conference at the end of the session of the JHA Council at Justice Minister level (with already, for certain issues, the presence of Home Affairs Ministers), French Finance Minister Marylise Lebranchu and Commissioner Antonio Vitorino spoke of the following results:
- Legal powers, recognition and execution of civil and commercial decisions. This draft regulation was the subject of a political agreement (see yesterday's EUROPE), but the Netherlands maintain a parliamentary reservation (Dutch Justice Minister Benk Korthals nevertheless said that he would do all he could for the reservation to be lifted by the end of the year). Marylise Lebranchu stressed that the aspect of this political agreement concerning the Internet rested on a "useful compromise that protects both consumer interests and the development of electronic commerce". A point of view shared by Antonio Vitorino who stipulated that this Regulation did not for that exhaust the subject of electronic commerce; according to him, it is important to develop regulatory structures amicably; the Commission is working on it and will present proposals in the first half of 2001.
- Eurojust. Ms. Lebranchu said that this structure would be composed of fifteen prosecutors, but the Netherlands still retain a parliamentary reservation. Ministers agreed to set up a "provisional unit" of Eurojust at the beginning of next year ("All has to be up and running in March 2001", she said). She also announced that Justice Ministers had asked the IGC to incorporate Eurojust in the Treaty". Ms. Lebranchu explained that Eurojust was "not to be confused with a European prosecutor's office", and that the Commission was asking for a "European prosecutor to be created alongside with as responsibility the protection of the EU's financial interests".
- European legal training network. The Council decided to create a network of magistrate schools allowing for an "exchange of cultures", within the "total respect of the independence of the magistrature".
- Mutual legal assistance. Member States began the process of implementing the Convention in the matter by adopting its explanatory report. The aim is for this Convention to take effect in January 2001; Marylise Lebranchu stipulated that that did not prevent Member States bringing it forward on a bilateral basis.
- Crime prevention. On the basis of an initiative by France and Sweden, the Fifteen decided to create a network, which, according to Lebranchu, would especially undertake actions in favour of minors. Mr. Vitorino thought that the Commission's Communication - discussed in Council - was "very complementary" to that initiative. The Commission, he announced, is preparing concrete proposals on this basis in the field of urban and juvenile delinquency, as well as crimes linked to drugs.
- Protecting the euro. The Council discussed the issue and, while considering that the EcoFin decisions were of a nature of facilitating the move to the single currency, considered that the "police authorities also need mobilising" and that there was need to "agree on the role of the courts" in the matter. In concrete terms, Ms. Lebranchu explained, a "common method for seizing forged euros" should be worked out.
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- Creation of an area of freedom, security and justice. The "scoreboard" on progress and delays compared to the Tampere aims - a scoreboard updated every six months by the Commission - was reviewed by the Council. According to Belgian Minister Duquesne, progress was noted and Commissioner Vitorino stressed the need to reach a global vision of the problem of foreigners (the next Belgian Presidency intends to organise an international conference on the problem of migration).
