Brussels, 08/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (HCR) has welcomed the adoption of The Hague Programme LAST Friday by the European Council but warned that "a lot needs to be done to reach the objective of a common refugee protection system in 2010 while helping developing countries strengthen their own protection capability". The 2010 objective for an asylum system is the main concrete commitment in the new five year programme for justice and home affairs (EUROPE 6 November p 10 and EUROPE/Documents annexed to this publication).
Ruud Lubbers UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that the first European asylum harmonisation phase was just the beginning and that a lot needed to be done at the EU's borders and outside. Lubbers is calling on Member States that have to transpose the adopted texts into their legislation in this first phase to not harmonise things on the lowest common denominator in the directives but adopt or conserve national legislation that provides the best levels of protection for refugees. The HCR points out that the vast majority of refugees are not in Europe but in developing countries and welcomes the EU's intention to develop an asylum policy outside these borders.
With The Hague Programme, the European Parliament is partially satisfied with its main goal: illegal immigration and border inspections will from 1 April 2005 be decided at qualified majority and co-decision with the European Parliament, which had already been achieved of asylum. On the other hand, for legal immigration each Member State keeps its right of veto and the EP will not be consulted. the president of the public freedoms committee, Jean-Louis Bourlangues (ALE, France) welcomed "a victory for the European Parliament, which will be completed involved in developing this common policy".