Geen akkoord bereikt over Schengen (en)
The first formal session of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the
Polish Presidency took place in Brussels between the 22nd-23rdof September. The main topics discussed by the EU Home Affairs Ministers included the expansion of the Schengen area as well as the creation of a Common European Asylum System.
The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen
The Council failed to come to a consensus on this issue, due to the continued opposition of Finland and the Netherlands. The Polish Minister for Administration and Home Affairs - Jerzy Miller, acting in his capacity as Council Chairman, noted in his summary of the debate: ‘Today we did not have the courage to say that we want to work together, and not against one another. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk once told the European Parliament that the European idea was their best invention ever; today, we have failed to recognize that the European idea is important...’
A compromise solution, put forward by the Polish Presidency, envisages border controls being phased out in two stages: first - at maritime and air borders, and later - at terrestrial borders. Romania and Bulgaria have implemented Schengen’s acquis and made changes to their current laws, but political arguments raised by some Member States have meant that their accession cannot yet be finalised.
The Common European Asylum System
Most of the EU Member States have endorsed the Polish proposals concerning the CEAS.
Particular emphasis was placed on the introduction of an evaluation mechanism,
incorporating the concept of an early warning system to prevent asylum crises. The
Interior Ministers agreed it was essential to continue the ongoing work on the Common European Asylum System, which is one of the Polish Presidency’s priorities for home affairs.
Agreement on the sharing of passenger name records (PNR)
The Council has decided to go ahead with the signing, later this month, of an EU-
Australian agreement on the sharing of PNR (Passenger Name Record) data of air travellers. The accord will enter into force after the European Parliament has given its consent. Additionally work is in progress on similar agreements with the US and Canada.
Management of the Schengen area
The European Commission presented the Home Affairs Ministers with its
proposals on legislative changes concerning the Schengen evaluation mechanism
and border code. At the European Council, last June, the heads of states and
governments of the Member States identified the need to respond to circumstances that put the functioning of Schengen at risk, however - it is important that this is done without jeopardizing the free movement of people.
The drafts will be conveyed as quickly as possible to the Council’s working groups onjustice and home affairs, for their technical analysis.
The next Justice and Home Affairs Council is scheduled for the 27th-28thOctober
2011.
Artur Koziolek
Presidency Spokesperson at the Ministry of Administrative and Home Affairs