Luxembourg, 31/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - At last Friday's Justice and Home Affairs Council, the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald K. Noble, asked for help and money to set up a database to identify the victims of the tsunami which hit Asia. The Member States decided nothing in concrete, and will first look at the situation on the ground, said JHA Council President Luc Frieden. Mr Noble asked for 2 million EUR, said Mr Frieden, adding that any aid granted would depend on what was to be done. Interpol hopes to collect and compare post-mortem DNA data from those missing with DNA profiles from the dead bodies found, which raises many legal issues. Only the Netherlands clearly indicated their agreement with this kind of joint database and for a financial contribution to be made to Interpol, said a European source. “We will not be content until all the victims have been identified”, said Mr Frieden, who was unable to put a figure on the number of European victims. “We did not talk figures”, he said. Commissioner Franco Frattini said that the Commission was busy discussing the financial contribution.
Here are the other subjects discussed by the JHA Council (see also EUROPE of 29 January, pages 8 and 9):
Information exchange. “With no exchange of information, we can forget the European area” for police and for justice alike, said Luc Frieden, who is to propose a list of fields for which the Member States can exchange information via databases. He gave the example of a Benelux database on the registration numbers of stolen vehicles. “There is not unanimity on the interconnection between all national bases, not even for all European ones”, he admitted. Commissioner Frattini said that he was “completely in agreement” with the Presidency's approach. Whereas the European Commission announced a proposal in this field some time ago, Franco Frattini said that he expected the Council to bring more precise orientations to these plans.
Internal security. The Member States discussed the creation of an internal security committee, which is provided for by the European Constitution. This was a preliminary discussion, and the committee's exact role is still undecided. Most Member States want it to be a semi-strategic, semi-legislative role. Most feel that this committee “will not become a purely operational body”, said Mr Frieden, adding that “instead it will be more strategic, to advise the Council and carry out certain tasks to be conferred upon it by the Council”. The Presidency would like to close discussions on this issue in April.
Europol: Commissioner Frattini would like to see agreement on the appointment of a Europol director “very quickly”. “We talk a lot about Europol, we talk about strengthening it” and dragging heels over the appointment of a director “does not give a very good impression”, he told a press conference. The Member States are to choose between the French candidate Leclair, the Italian Marotta, the German Ratzel and the Spanish candidate Simancas (EUROPE of 25 January).