Brussels, 10/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The President of the EP Liberal Group, Graham Watson, welcomed the Communication adopted on Tuesday by the European Commission on an integrated management of the European Union's external borders, considering it "an important step towards the creation of an area of security, freedom and justice in Europe". In a statement, Mr Watson underlines that "this joint approach (…) is crucial to promote the free movement of persons, while maintaining internal security". According to him, the Member States will have to share the burden of such management with the candidate countries, by providing them with their experience, by exchanging information and pooling resources. The establishment of a European Border Control Guard will be crucial added Mr Watson, for whom it is necessary to ask questions to know how far the borders of the EU will probably stretch in the foreseeable future.