Brussels, 22/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - At first sight, the new EU programme on Justice and Home Affairs in the run up to 2008 "is certainly not the great leap forward you might expect from the challenges facing the EU in this area", it was stated on Friday in a press release from Mr Kiefer, President of the European Confederation of Police, EuroCOP. The aims given are ambitious but the concrete proposals have been deferred, he deplored, noting in particular that the programme is limited to referring to "the realisation of the great potential of Europol and Eurojust". It does not, however, say what this should look like (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.11). The programme, although recognising the need for a better and faster implementation of decisions by Member States, makes no suggestion about the way to achieve this, Mr Kiefer comments (and his press release speaks of the "sad story of the ratification of the European Arrest Warrant".
Mr Kiefer also criticises the lack of consultation between the trade unions and professional organisations concerned. "We are merely presented with the results. The Justice and Home Affairs Ministers deliberately neglect the potential input of their law enforcement professionals", he states. In his view, the structures created at European level are often too complicated and lack transparency, which results in the fact that personnel, when they carry out crossborder surveys, prefer to use informal communication networks.
Finally, Mr Kiefer considers a major step would be taken toward effectively fighting organised crime if the EU Member States managed to come to an agreement on the new Europol director. Ministers are discussing "big plans for the future" while the "most important institution for police cooperation in the EU is left without a director for almost four months now", he complains.