Brussels, 25/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - European Justice and Interior Commissioner Franco Frattini said on 21 September that a “Solidarity Fund” for those countries faced with illegal immigration would be made available. Set up in 2002, the EU Solidarity Fund (with its budget of €1 billion) grants aid to Member States and acceding countries in the event of a major disaster. Mr Frattini also said that the EU would free €45 million as part of a new initiative to develop projects in African countries, to strengthen border management and combat human trafficking. On 21 September the European Commission adopted the Aeneas 2006 work programme with a view to co-financing actions in support of efforts by third countries to manage better the various aspects of migratory fluxes. This programme will support cooperation on immigration and asylum issues with countries bordering the enlarged EU and with countries in other regions of the world (ACP, North Africa, Asia and Latin America). The previous day, the European Commission had awarded special financial aid of €3.28 million to Italy, Spain and Malta to allow them to meet the massive influx of illegal immigrants from Africa (see EUROPE 9268). Meeting in Tampere on 21 September, EU interior ministers failed to agree on a common policy to combat illegal immigration, to the great despair of Spain, Italy and Malta in particular (see EUROPE 9270). Ministers gave global backing to calls for increased funding and means to be put at the disposal of the new European agency for border surveillance, Frontex, but without making any real commitments (see EUROPE 9270). Frontex Director Ilkka Laitenen accused Member States of wrongly criticising his organisation: “Frontex is a coordinator at European level, entirely dependent on the will of the Member countries to cooperate. That is often forgotten,” he said.
At the informal meeting in Tampere, the Finnish Presidency put a proposal to Member States to increase solidarity on the issues of immigration and asylum. Firstly, it proposed that the EU fund a significant part of the actual and verifiable expenditure incurred in a Member State from the process of deciding whether a third country national had entered the EU illegally or an asylum seeker had the right to remain on its territory (for example, expenditure related reception and interviewing and the possible return of people, or administrative measures). Community reimbursement would be progressive and would be subject to the registration of the persons concerned in the appropriate European databases. Member States would receive equal payment for each registration and thus the financial support from the EU would reflect the migratory pressures on each Member State. The details of payments by the EU have still to be fleshed out. Secondly, registration would be based on the use of biometric identifiers, guaranteeing the physical presence of the person concerned at the time of registration. Thirdly, only the first registering State (in theory, the Member State of entry into the EU) would be entitled to EU payment.
Thus, the Member State in question would assume responsibility for the person, including the obligation for later re-admitting him/her (unless verifiable return had been recorded or there had been a substantial change in the legal situation of the person to be re-admitted). Fourthly, the immigration authorities and those responsible for border control should apply common European rules fully and in a uniform and transparent manner (including the rules on border management, the right to seek asylum, the right to seek the right to remain and the return of a person to his/her country of origin or country of permanent residence). The application of the rules would be supported by control mechanisms to be put in place and by a uniform risk analysis. According to Finnish Presidency conclusions, together these four facets would lead to a situation where all Member States - even those whose immigration and border authorities were under substantial pressures - would be able to assume full responsibility for the implementation of common European rules. “This initiative was well received by ministers,” said Finnish interior minister Kari Rajamäki.