Luxembourg, 25/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council approved the Swedish proposal further to the demonstrations that troubled the European Council of Gothenburg (see our Special Edition of 17 June, p.5), to convene an extraordinary Council of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers to discuss additional coordination measures that could be taken in order to fight more effectively against the violence of groups of rioters whose aim it is to upset the smooth unfolding of European Summits and other international meetings, as well as the peaceful demonstrations of citizens. This meeting will be held on 13 July.
The decision was taken with the support of a very large majority of Member States. Portugal, Italy (that seemed to fear the meeting would be seen as provocation on the eve of the G8 Summit in Genoa) and mainly Finland expressed reticence. Swedish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, who had himself been arrested as a young man during demonstrations, was against the meeting. He said it would be "badly prepared" (given the lack of time) and "without real added value", and that it would be a "bad signal" to rioters (who would be given too much importance).
The extraordinary meeting of the JHA Council will be preceded in the early days of July by a technical preparatory meeting with national police experts.