Brussels, 12/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - The EU15 Justice and Home Affairs Ministers will be meeting on Friday afternoon, in, Brussels, for a special Council devoted to security of European Councils and other major international events organised by a Member State. Convened as a matter of urgency just two weeks ago further to the violence that marred the European Council of Gothenburg, there is not unanimity about the organisation of this Council, as some criticise a meeting that is over hasty on such a sensitive matter. The Presidency's ambition is not to have a binding instrument in just two weeks, Presidency sources reply, but to draw up an inventory of what already exists and to ensure that the States use the instruments available to them in the best possible way. They say it is important that this meeting should be held without delay to improve the security of meetings organised during the semester.
Discussions at the level of the Permanent Representatives of the Fifteen showed there was reticence on the part of many Member States about the proposals made on the exchange of files and the possible creation of a European database, and on restrictions to the freedom of movement. On the first point, reservation of principle, often of a constitutional kind, was formulated by Austria, Greece, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden. Regarding the possibility of making it compulsory for a country to prevent one its nationals from leaving its territory, Finland, Greece, France, Austria, Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands expressed reservation. The Presidency sought, on Thursday, to find a compromise on the wording of these two proposals.
Other proposals are more consensual, such as the constitution of a pool of liaison officers, the displacement of physionomists specialised in violent groups during major gatherings (the "spotters"), the organisation of seminars, the exchange of information, reports on incidents by the States concerned, etc. Strengthening of this cooperation should be entrusted to the Task Force of European Heads of Police. The Fifteen should also discuss reactivation of the joint action of 26 May 1997, which bears on cooperation and exchange of information on potentially violent groups that move from one Member State to another. The Council is of course expected to recall the importance of respect of the freedom to demonstrate, insisting on the right to do so without the safety of demonstrators or of police forces being threatened. The conclusions should also stress the importance of constructive dialogue between the organisers of public demonstrations and the authorities of the host country.
The Council will also discuss Europol, and on the discovery of fraud within the directorate of this Office. The Belgian Presidency had convened an extraordinary meeting of the Europol Administrative Board on 3 July, and Minister Duquesne will receive the Director on 20 July, "for a meeting about the future of this body".