Brussels, 11/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - The Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU has announced that together with the European Commission, it has taken the initiative to discuss a “mutual information and early warning system for immigration” at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 24 February, after the “recent decisions taken in a Member State” to reconcile the situation of illegal immigrants (Spain: see EUROPE of 9 February, p.10, and of 11 February, p.14). The Luxembourg minister delegate for foreign affairs and immigration, Nicolas Schmit, and European Commissioner Franco Frattini have written to the Member States proposing to “pick up the reflections which started under the Dutch Presidency” on a mutual information and early warning system on “important decisions to be taken by one or more Member States”. In their letter, he points out that questions relating to immigration, “in full respect of the competencies of the Member States, are clearly of common interest”, and that “The Hague Programme” adopted on 5 November 2004 has retained a global approach to international migration. Luxembourg Presidency and European Commission state that they are to present their “joint initiative”, in line with The Hague Programme, in line with the competencies provided by the Treaty and on the basis of Commission communications.