EU en VS bekijken stand van zaken aanpak terrorisme en georganiseerde misdaad (en)

Spanish minister for Home Affairs, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba.

The informal meeting of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of the EU (JHA) that begins today in Toledo it´s devoting most of the first day to analysing, jointly with the United States, the progress made and problems that exist in the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

“The problems are global and so should the solutions be”, explained the Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, reminding those present that one of the key objectives during the Spanish Presidency of the European Union is to strengthen transatlantic relations and increase police coordination and cooperation in security matters.

Radical Islamic terrorism, drug trafficking and slavery are some of the issues that the Ministers for Home Affairs of the 27 will deal with today jointly with the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

During a press conference before the meeting, Rubalcaba acknowledged that air security is “without a doubt going to be the centre point of the discussion” as this is the first security meeting held after the thwarted terrorist attack in Detroit (USA) and “aeroplanes continue to be Al Quaeda and its offshoots' main target.”

Nevertheless, the Minister declared that the meeting will deal with these issues “generally” and will not make specific decisions on issues such as the use of scanners at airports.

Nor is it planned to discuss specific agreements on data exchange between the EU and the United States issues, as there is already a “great deal of reticence” in Europe, given the different treatment people receive on either side of the Atlantic, especially regarding bank codes and aeroplane passenger lists.

“There is a great deal of reticence, which I understand, but which we have to resolve, as the sooner we exchange all the information the better”, Mr Pérez Rubalcaba underlined.

The minister also mentioned the Spanish Presidency's interest in establishing a common policy on Sahel, as there “is proof that the same routes are used for illegal trafficking of people as those used for criminal ends in drug trafficking and terrorism”.

In addition to terrorism and cooperation with the United States, today's meeting will also look at the new Interior Security Strategy, the objective of which is to define the bases of common European policy following the approval of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Stockholm Strategy.

The afternoon session, chaired by the Spanish Minister of Labour and Immigration, Celestino Corbacho, will tackle the need for establishing a common policy and control system for borders that encourages legal immigration and stems illegal immigration.

Approving a common strategy to integrate immigrants will also be a central theme during the ministers' discussions.

As well as the EU Ministers of Home Affairs, Justice and Immigration, the meeting will also be attended by representatives from the candidate countries -Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey- and the countries associated under Schengen -Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland- as well as representatives from the major European organisations in this field, such as Frontex i and Europol i.