Oostenrijks voorzitterschap: betere structuren nodig voor Europol om terrorismebestrijding en criminaliteit te bestrijden (en)

Debate started about the future of Europol - The West Balkans are the focus for implementing the external strategy

On the second and last day of their meeting in Vienna the Interior and Justice Ministers of the 25 EU countries discussed the future of Europol and external relations in the area of the interior and justice. "We have a uniform position on the existing instruments, especially Europol and the Schengen Information System (SIS). These facilitate police collaboration and help to structure it effectively", according to the Council President, Minister of the Interior Liese Prokop. "We would like to conduct the debate about the basic role and orientation of Europol without taboos and prejudices", Prokop continued.

She emphasised that a comprehensive debate on the future architecture of the internal security of the EU had been successfully started. The ministers had agreed that existing institutions had to be strengthened, expanded and made more effective and efficient. In this way, their added value to the Member States could be increased. During the Austrian Presidency, therefore, an arrangement was to be introduced for better horizontal coordination.

Prokop said that it was important to find answers to how the work of Europol, Eurojust, Frontex and the Task Force of European Police Chiefs could be coordinated better with each other.

Another important aspect was the implementation of the "Strategy for the external dimension of justice and home affairs" adopted in December 2005. Prokop said that the implementation of this external strategy first had to be discussed internally within the EU and thereafter an involvement of third-party countries on a partnership basis would be important.

On 4 and 5 May 2006, there was to be a security conference in Vienna of the EU interior ministers with selected third-party states, including states of the Western Balkans and members of the European neighbourhood policy. Prokop emphasised the importance of implementing the external strategy: today most threats to internal security (illegal migration, organised crime and terrorism) are international problems, and therefore a strengthened international initiative from justice and interior ministers is appropriate and necessary. In future, the collaboration with the new neighbour states is to be expanded into a security partnership. There was agreement that these partners would have both rights and obligations.