EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 65/117

(2004/C 65 E/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2214/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(2 July 2003)

Subject: European security project

The cultural association ‘Gruppo Atlante 2000’ has for many years been developing a European security project based on the Equal programme and now the recent Agis programme. The project essentially entails recording the number of asylum seekers, identifying those who genuinely fall into this category, setting up reception centres geared to accommodation and assistance requirements and providing EU citizens with a high level of security within an area of freedom and justice.

The constant increase in the flow of asylum seekers in Italy in recent years illustrates the need for a uniform government strategy to improve reception facilities and at the same time combat illegal immigration. Action is also needed to prevent asylum seekers becoming involved in organised crime and the black economy.

In the light of the above, will the Commission say:

1. what contribution this association could make to the work performed by Europol and Eurojust?

2. whether similar initiatives have been taken in the EU?

3. what general security framework exists in Europe?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(22 August 2003)

Member States shall have to ensure that material reception conditions are available to third country nationals and stateless persons who make an application for asylum at the border or in the territory of Member States, in order to ensure a standard of living adequate for their health capable of ensuring their subsistence, after the deadline for transposition of Council Directive 2003/9/EC of 27 January 2003 laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers (1). The deadline for transposition is 6 February 2005.

Council Regulation (EC) No 343/2003 of 18 February 2003 establishes criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for asylum lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national (2). Accordingly, this instrument prevents applicants for asylum from pursuing multiple procedures and may thus diminish the need to set up new reception facilities. The implementation of this Regulation is facilitated by the operation of the Eurodac system, as established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2725/2000 of 11 December 2000 concerning the establishment of ‘Eurodac’ for the comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of the Dublin Convention (3). Under this Regulation, Member States are required to promptly take fingerprints of every applicant for asylum and of every alien who is apprehended in connection with the irregular crossing of an external border of a Member State, if they are at least 14 years of age.

To combat illegal immigration, the Council adopted on 28 February 2002 an action plan on illegal immigration (4). Proper implementation of these measures by the Member States may reduce irregular flows and may thus, in the long term, also diminish the need of Member States to set up new reception facilities for asylum seekers.

The AGIS programme is primarily a programme for police and judicial cooperation in penal matters. However, within the framework of the fight against organised crime, and in particular the fight against trafficking of human beings, it envisages possibilities of cofinancing for the co-ordination of projects between police investigations and administrative control measures. It also envisages possibilities of cofinancing projects in the fight against organisations, criminal networks and criminals operating in the field of illegal immigration in Member States and neighbouring countries.

Europol has been established to support Member States' law enforcement authorities in their fight against serious transnational crime, in particular organised crime. Europol does not have any competences concerning asylum seekers. Eurojust is a body composed of members of the judiciary. Its main task is to assist and advise the national prosecuting authorities in judicial prosecution casework and has, basically, no political or administrative tasks. If ‘Gruppo Atlante 2000’ has particular expertise in judicial or police matters, it could contact Eurojust or Europol directly in order to discuss issues and possible co-operation.

The second round of EQUAL will be launched in 2004 and will continue to fund Development Partnerships which seek to improve the social and vocational integration of Asylum Seekers. Whilst the Commission has responsibility to set the overall framework for the Initiative, the Managing Authorities in each Member State are responsible for setting out their priorities selecting appropriate Development Partnerships which best meet these objectives. The national contact details are all available on the EQUAL website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/equal.

(1) OJ L 31, 6.2.2003.

(2) OJ L 50, 25.2.2003.

(3) OJ L 316, 15.12.2000.

(4) OJ C 142, 14.6.2002.