Newcastle, 09/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Friday, the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council in Newcastle welcomed the presentation, by the Spanish interior Minister José Antonio Alonso, of a joint draft by Spain, France and Morocco on immigration. This draft will be presented in detail at the Euromed conference of November, said Mr Alonso. The aim of this project is to develop a Euro-Mediterranean network of police and legal cooperation on terrorism, drugs and trafficking in human beings, together with the gradual implementation of "integrated management of social and safety aspects of migratory flows", Mr Alonso told a small group of journalists. Europe "must make a considerable and decisive effort for the funding of these projects", he added. Austria, Denmark and Germany, amongst others, welcomed the draft, stating that the problem of illegal immigration from the Mediterranean area was an issue which should be of concern to all of the Member States, not only those situated in the Mediterranean area.
On Friday, the Maltese and Dutch ministers raised the issue of a common programme, whereby the Netherlands would take on a proportion of the refugees which Malta was unable to house. This is the first concrete example of the principle of "sharing the burden" between the Member States, said the Maltese representative. This cooperation comes under the heading of the refugee hosting programmes which exist in other countries, organised by the High Commission for Refugees, and in which Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom take part.
The president in exercise of the JHA Council, Charles Clarke of the United Kingdom, underlined the support of the Member States to the idea of developing cooperation with Africa in the field of immigration. This issue will feature in the more general strategy the European Council is to adopt on Africa in December, he said.
The various proposals on cooperation, returns and immigration which the European Commission presented on 1 September have been very well received, according to several of those who took part in the Council. The ministers also discussed the fight against drugs in Afghanistan with the Afghan anti-drugs Minister, Habilullah Qaderi.