JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL, BRUSSELS,
21 SEPTEMBER
Letter to the Chairman from the Home Secretary,
Home Office (Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP)
I am writing to update you on the Justice and Home
Affairs Council which took place in Brussels on 21 September.
I attended this Council, on behalf of the Home Office, which
focused on migration and asylum issues.
During the Mixed Committee, with Norway, Switzerland,
Iceland and Liechtenstein, the Commission reported that a new
timetable for implementation of the Regulation establishing the
Visa Information System (VIS) would be put to the Friends of the
VIS meeting in October as a consequence of ongoing delays. The
UK does not participate in the VIS.
Following the Mixed Committee, the Commission introduced
its proposals on the establishment of a voluntary joint EU Refugee
Resettlement Programme which would include the establishment of
annual EU priorities; financial assistance of 4,000 euros from
the European Refugee Fund (ERF) for each resettled refugee; and
pooled operational resource and expertise (through the European
Asylum Support Office). The UK welcomed the Commission's proposals
to increase resettlement opportunities across the EU, seeing it
as a key tool in protecting the most vulnerable. The UK noted
that over 2,100 refugees have been resettled to the UK since 2004
through its domestic Gateway Protection Programme. By expanding
and strengthening Regional Protection Programmes and combining
Members States' efforts on resettlement, the EU will be able to
reduce the need for refugees to undertake dangerous journeys to
Europe to find safety and increase refugee protection for the
most vulnerable worldwide.
The Council then had a political discussion on asylum,
during which the UK urged the Commission to review implementation
of the existing Asylum Directives first and postpone new rules
on Procedures and Qualification. The UK argued that the
EU should take practical action to address the gaps in the current
system, and that in this regard we should get the European Asylum
Support Office (EASO) up and running as quickly as possible.
The Commission said it intended to propose measures to clarify,
simplify and shorten the asylum procedure. These changes
would help justify refusals, tackle abuse and enable swifter returns.
The Commission reiterated its undertaking to deliver the commitments
made in the Hague Programme and the European Migration Pact, and
the need for the EU to meet the European Council deadline of 2012
for the establishment of a Common European Asylum System.
The Council adopted Conclusions on the increasing
trend of unaccompanied minors arriving in the EU who either claim
asylum or engage in illegal employment. The Conclusions encourage
Member States to work together to combat trafficking networks,
promote economic development in countries of origin, improve
reception facilities and facilitate return to families and guardians.
The Presidency concluded that an EU Action Plan on Unaccompanied
Minors would be presented by the Commission in early 2010.
During the working lunch Ministers held discussions
with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres,
focusing on asylum resettlement and regional protection programmes.
A separate discussion was also held on Canada's introduction
of visas on Czech nationals as part of a general discussion on
EU visa reciprocity.
The Presidency introduced a presentation by the Commission,
following which the Council exchanged views on actions taken to
implement the European Council Conclusions of 18 -19 June on illegal
immigration in the Mediterranean and the strengthening of
Frontex in this region. The Commission stated that proposals
to strengthen the Frontex mandate would follow in 2010, while
efforts to strengthen the joint management of migration flows
with Libya and Turkey continued. The UK stated illegal immigration
was a shared problem requiring a coordinated response based on
responsibility and solidarity. It should not be separated from
EU work on asylum, or external efforts under the Global Approach
to Migration. Solidarity with those countries most affected
should include help with processing claims, increasing returns
and stemming the flows by working more closely with source and
transit countries. We were not persuaded that intra-EU relocation
of refugees from the southern Member States could be a sustainable,
long-term solution to the pressures faced by those Member States.
The Presidency concluded that getting these issues right in the
Stockholm Programme was vital.
The Council agreed Conclusions on the Commission's
guidelines on the application of the Free Movement Directive,
which outlined that Member States should fully apply free movement
rights, whilst making every effort to tackle abuse, fraud and
criminality, with systematic trends of abuse being reported to
the Commission. The Presidency recognised the risk of abuse
and hoped Member States would work together at a technical level
to tackle it.
1 October 2009
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