Grensbewaking: balans vinden tussen veiligheid en vrijheid (en)

Border management, including the need for a balance between freedom and security, was the subject of a discussion at the EP on Monday between MEPs, national MPs and visiting experts. In the near future Parliament is due to scrutinise several proposals designed to consolidate the system created by the opening up of Europe's borders and the introduction of the Schengen regime. MEPs will be keen to ensure that fundamental rights and privacy are respected.

Monday's debate focused on the integrated management of EU borders via several pieces of legislation currently passing through Parliament, including the introduction of the second-generation Schengen Information System (SIS II), the future of the Frontex agency, the entry/exit system and data profiling.

Schengen Information System II: MEPs call for transparency

Parliament's rapporteur on SIS II, Carlos Coelho (EPP-ED, PT), told the meeting "Schengen is the backbone of a Europe without frontiers" and that since it was set up "the system has proved its worth and it has been decided that its potential should be maximised". The introduction of the SIS II system, with the inclusion of new - notably biometric - data, is meant to strengthen security and can be extended to the new Member States. "We have some catching up to do. We also need transparency, because the public wants to know what is happening and we want fundamental rights to be respected", said Mr Coelho.

Georges de la Loyère, head of the Schengen Joint Supervisory Authority, said "SIS I, which was initially set up for five years, then expanded and patched up, is now completely out of date". Moreover, the migration to SIS II "is like a house removal where you lose some furniture on the way". He urged MEPs to "scrutinise the texts that come before them, so that we preserve legality".

Frontex: "a new-born child that needs its parents"

Javier Moreno Sánchez (PES, ES), rapporteur on Frontex/Eurosur, said the aim of "ensuring that immigration is legal" went hand in hand with border controls and the policy of returning illegal immigrants. "Frontex is like a new-born child that needs its parents. It must be strengthened. But how, and how quickly? The waves of clandestine migrants are not going to wait (_) Will Frontex be able to help with the repatriation of migrants or with rescue at sea?" he asked.

Ikka Laitinen, executive director of Frontex, replied that "the aim of the agency is to save human lives" but as far as equipment was concerned (helicopters, boats, etc.) it was still dependent on the Member States. "Should Frontex buy its own equipment? If we can't get enough on loan from the Member States, we'll have to buy some".

Agustín Díaz de Mera (EPP-ED, ES) contended that Frontex's resources "will have to remain modest because the budget has already been overspent" and the agency must focus on its task of coordinating resources of the Member States, who in turn should "compile a list of the things they can make available to Frontex".

According to Tomas Grulich, of the Czech Senate, the expansion of Schengen was "a highly positive experience for us" but "one weak link in the chain can threaten the whole system". He urged those present to "be vigilant about the situation on the eastern borders, not just those to the south".

Doubts over entry/exit system

The debate then turned to three Commission proposals for the integrated management of the EU's external borders, which will involve the management of a large volume of personal data.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert i (ALDE, NL), rapporteur on the entry/exit system, said "proposals are coming in thick and fast but we haven't yet seen an overall plan. All these measures will be in addition to what we already have and they will have a cost and an impact on privacy without our knowing what their added value will be". Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor, also voiced wariness about the proposal.

"Profiling is potentially discriminatory"

Sarah Ludford (ALDE, UK), who is preparing an own-initiative on profiling, pointed to "a growing interest in everything to do with data profiling for detecting potential criminals. Well, that implies that you can say in advance what a criminal is like. That could be against the law and even be counterproductive".

This view was backed by Peter Hustinx, who maintained that profiling "raises huge problems" as "it is based on generalisation and categorisation", which "creates an appetite for data and promotes suspicion about what people might do rather than what they have done".

30/06/2008

In the chair : Gérard Deprez (ALDE, BE)