Brussels, 21/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - While the European Council finds that decision-making mechanisms are being blocked in the field of police cooperation and criminal law, European Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini continues to believe the bridging clause remains a solution for breaking the deadlock. (For results of the European Council, see EUROPE 9329 and 9330).
Noting the lack of consensus among Heads of State and Government regarding the fate of the bridging clause, Frattini said: “I continue to believe that, although there may be no progress during June (during the constitutional process), action cannot be ruled out. I have therefore called on the European Council not to block anything regarding the bridging clause”.
The Commissioner, who spoke to MEPs in the European Parliament's civil liberties committee (LIBE), also welcomed the European Council's decision to include legal and illegal immigration “very high” on the agenda. “The Council has adopted the document on the global approach on immigration,” he said, indicating that he intended to bring forward concrete proposals on this issue very soon. Many of the MEPs present also welcomed the Council decision. “Finally, the EU is making immigration part of its development policies,” said Martine Roure (PES, France). Responding to a question from Giusto Catania (GUE/NGL, Italy) on European management of entry quotas, Mr Frattini noted that heads of state had indeed “referred” to this and that the Commission was going to fund pilot projects.
After the Justice and Home Affairs Council approved the creation of a European Agency for Fundamental Rights (see EUROPE 9320), which will officially open its doors on 1st January 2007, Mr Frattini told MEPs of the next stages, which will see the Agency become an essential part of the EU institutional scenery. He said the Agency still had to form its executive board and to have a Director appointed. A five-year work plan will be put out by the Commission in May 2007 and it is expected that this will be approved for the end of the same year. For the moment, the Agency will continue the work of the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia until its multi-annual plan has been adopted. Some MEPs, such as Ms Roure, said they were “partly satisfied” with the outcome of the Council since, contrary to the Parliament's wishes, the responsibility of the Agency in police and legal cooperation in criminal matters will be very limited. Mr Frattini effectively acknowledged that the Agency would be “less ambitious that at the start”. He also wanted a new political dialogue (Parliament, Council, Commission) to be set up for the implementation phase. (bc)