Brussels, 07/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - "In politics, a day cannot be only be made up of good things", is what the Commissioner responsible for Justice, Antonio Vitorino said in substance at the end of the meeting of the justice ministers in Brussels Thursday evening. The good points, are the political agreements secured for the framework-decision for combating terrorism (an agreement "in record time", he was pleased to announce) and the creation of Eurojust (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.8( interns that the present-in-office of pro-Eurojust also welcomed. The bad points, are obviously the deadlock over the European arrest warrant, that the Presidency and the Commission deeply regretted, and the lack of the hoped-for agreement on an article on the decision on the fight against the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.
Europol/United States agreement: the director of Europol and the Ambassador of the United States to the European Union signed the first co-operation agreement between the European Police Office and the United States, which relates to exchanges in strategic and technical information, but not on exchanges of data on individuals (see EUROPE of 6 December p.8). The Council also authorised the director of Europol to begin negotiations with the United States in view of concluding an agreement on the exchange of data of a personal nature. The director of Europol, moreover, presented a report on the protection of data in the United States. Belgian Home Affairs Minister, Antoine Duquesne, welcomed the conclusion of this agreement and the launch of negotiations on an exchange of personal data, while noting that Europol staff had already been "authorised to exchange such information" in an "exceptional and limited manner", on events relating to 11 September. Europol was also authorised to begin negotiations with the Principality of Monaco and the Bureau for the Control of Drugs and Crime Prevention.
Combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography: the debates led to a broad consensus, but Italy demanded certain modifications.
Method for harmonising sentences: ministers had a brief debate on this question of principle that has often raised problems, several countries, including Austria, Germany and Denmark being opposed to the habitual method of harmonisation by a maximum/minimum, that is to say the common determination of a minimum threshold for sentences. This initial debate allowed for consensus to emerge for continuing work on a method based not on a number of years, but on a range of years. According to this method, the Fifteen would adopt a minimum "level" of sentences: level 1 (sufficiently high to allow for extradition); level 2 (1 to 5 years); level 3 (5 to 10 years); level 4 (over 10 years).
In addition, the Council formally confirmed the decision to extend the powers of Europol to the many crimes listed in the annex of its convention from 1 January 2002 (see EUROPE of 29 September). The Fifteen also took note of the update by the chiefs of police of the EU of the confidential list of terrorist organisations.
The justice ministers also adopted, without debate: - a regulation elating to the development of the Schengen Information System (SIS II); - a common scale for assessing threats to people visiting the EU; - a manual of recommendations for the setting up of police co-operation for football matches of an international dimension; - the financial regulation and the budget 2002 of the European Police College, as well as its working programme; - a recommendation concerning the harmonisation of statistical data regarding the seizure of misappropriated drugs and precursors. The Council took note of a report on organised crime in the EU in 2000.