Brussels, 29/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - In answer to questions on the report that the European Commission is to present regarding the financing of cooperation against illegal immigration, Commissioner Vitorino admitted there are problems within the Commission with regards approval of the text (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.6). "Discussions are always difficult when money is involved", he stressed on Thursday evening, specifying that he had decided to make a report that was "a little more ambitious than the purely statistical report" the Council had asked of him. This "takes longer than I thought. (…) There are lengthy discussions within the Commission", he added. He explained saying that "Seville asked us to accomplish a small miracle" by stating that the Council's budgetary framework should not be exceeded, but "as there is no fresh money, we must reprioritise". To put it clearly, it will be necessary to use the money already earmarked for other projects with third countries (on the Presidency's side, there is even talk of development projects) in order to allocate it to the fight against immigration, including the training of border guards, a sensitive subject on which there is no agreement within the Commission. Mr Vitorino made it clear that the Commission will present its proposals in coming weeks, beginning next week with the communication on development and migration. (See EUROPE of 22 November, p.13, and 31 October, p.14). The report on sharing the cost of EU external border management is foreseen for June 2003.