Odysseus programme: 1998
Date: 1998-06-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, European official, administrative cooperation, in-service training, migration, political asylum

4.6.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  169/15

III

(Notices)

COMMISSION

ODYSSEUS  PROGRAMME:  1998

(98/C  169/12)

(Text  with  EEA  relevance)

1.(cid:217)Broad  outlines  of  the  programme

the  Odysseus  programme  of
The  Council  adopted 
in  the  field  of
training,  exchanges  and  cooperation 
asylum,  immigration  and  crossing  external  borders  on
19  March  1998  (OJ  L  99,  31.3.1998).  The  programme
applies  to  the  15  Member  States  of  the  European  Union
and  allows  for  the  possibility  of  associating  non(cid:220)member
countries,  in  particular  the  applicant  countries,  provided
this  would  be 
in  accordance  with  the  programme’s
objectives.

The  financial  reference  amount  for  the  implementation
of  the  programme  for  the  period  1998  to  2002  is  ECU
12  million.

The  programme  has  three  main  objectives:

responsible 

implementing 

1.(cid:217)First,  to  secure  the  long(cid:220)term  practical  cooperation  of
the
for 
the  authorities 
asylum, 
immigration  and  external  border  control
policies.  The  long(cid:220)term  approach  is  a  prerequisite  for
the  programme’s  effectiveness,  given  that  any  changes
to  new  legislation,  procedures  and  techniques  will
annual
take 
programme.

time,  generally 

longer 

than 

an 

2.(cid:217)Second,  to  design  a  programme  incorporating  the
various  elements  of  a  wide(cid:220)ranging  cooperation  policy
by  means  of 
instruments  relating  to  training  and
exchanges  of  officials.  To  be  fully  effective  they  must
meet  three  conditions:

-(cid:217)the  various  qualification  levels  must  be  defined:
this  means  making  sure  the  measures  implemented
under  the  Odysseus  programme  at  Union  level  are
complementary  to  other  measures,  in  particular
basic  training  for  officials,  which  mainly  comes
within  the  competence  of  the  Member  States;

-(cid:217)cooperation  must  be  accompanied  by  the  devel(cid:220)
opment  of  tools  based  on  studies  and  research  and
the  dissemination  of  information  which  increases
effectiveness,

-(cid:217)assessment  must  be  incorporated,  i.e.  each  measure
must 
the
include  a  complete  definition  of 
objectives  and  the  means  to  achieve  them.  The
objectives  must  be  consistent  with 
the  needs
expressed  and  the  content  of  the  programme.  In
other  words,  new  measures  can  be  launched  only
if  they  fully  incorporate  the  assessment  of  previous
similar  measures.

3.(cid:217)Steps  must  be  taken  to  open  up  the  programme  to
non(cid:220)member  countries  in  general  and  the  applicant
countries  in  particular,  priority  being  given  to  coop(cid:220)
eration  projects 
the
accumulated  body  of  Union  law  relating  to  asylum,
immigration  and  the  crossing  of  external  borders.

them  with 

familiarise 

to 

The  programme  sets  out  to  meet  these  objectives  by
supporting  measures  initiated  by  public  institutions  or
private  bodies  aimed  at  developing  cooperation  in  the
fields  of  asylum, 
the  crossing  of
immigration  and 
external  borders.  This  is  why  the  structure  is  based  on  an
annual  programme  adopted  by 
the  Management
Committee.  It  ensures  that  the  selection  process  is  as
open  as  possible  and  that  the  projects  selected  meet  the
strictest  criteria  with  the  help  of  experts  who  will  assist
the  Commission  in  formulating  proposals  for  consistent
programmes.

scale 

stressed 

the  need 

for  economies  of 

In  the  interests  of  sound  management,  the  Commission
has 
in
programme  management.  The  Sherlock  programme  can
be  incorporated  into  the  Odysseus  programme  without
any  change 
it
possible  to  coordinate  the  objectives  of  the  campaign
against  forged  documents  in  the  more  general  context  of
external  border  controls  and  the  prevention  of  illegal
immigration.  Management  will  be  simplified  as  a  result
of  establishing  a  single  Management  Committee.

in  substance.  Incorporation  will  make 

The  Commission  will  make  sure  the  programme 
is
consistent  with  existing  programmes  under  Title  VI  of

C  169/16

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4.6.98

the  TEU  and  the  PHARE  programme,  in  particular  the
aspect  dealing  specifically  with  justice  and  home  affairs.

To  achieve  this  objective,  the  Odysseus  programme  will
consist  of  operations  in  the  following  areas:

- training  for  civil  servants,  training  for  instructors  and
advanced  courses  for  specialists.  Depending  on  the
subject  studied,  basic  training  will  remain  primarily
within  the  competence  of  the  Member  States;  since
this  is  the  first  year  of  the  programme’s  implemen(cid:220)
tation,  it  would  not  appear  necessary  to  specify  the
type  of  training  by  giving  priority  to  instructors  or  to
specialists.  The  areas  are  sufficiently  broad  and
distinct  for  it  to  be  feasible  to  define  the  most  appro(cid:220)
priate  type  of  training  case  by  case.  With  regard  to
forged  identity  documents,  training  will  have  to  take
account  of  the  lessons  learned  from  the  Sherlock
programme.  In  other  areas,  training  could  be  more
usefully  focused  on  basic  concepts.  In  this  context  the
Commission  intends  to  give  priority  to  the  dissemi(cid:220)
nation  of  information.  With  regard  to  questions  of
involve  processing  the
common 
information  obtained 
in  the  Member  States  and
disseminating  it  as  widely  as  possible  to  the  personnel
concerned;  it  will  also  involve  further  training  and
specialisation  for  experienced  officials  in  order  to
study  in  greater  depth  specific  aspects  identified  as
requiring  special  effort.  Regular  training  courses  will
have  to  be  held  so  that  they  will  have  a  knock(cid:220)on
effect  and  become  a  source  of  reference  information
by  the  end  of  the  period;

interest,  this  will 

the 

spot  with 

familiarisation  on 

- exchanges  of  officials  between  Member  States,  a
complementary  dimension  of  training.  The  periods  of
exchange  can  be  sufficiently  extended  to  allow  for
the
practical 
methods,  procedures  and  techniques  used.  This  could
take  the  form  of  unilateral  or  reciprocal  visits  to  the
national  authorities  responsible  for  asylum, 
immi(cid:220)
gration  and  external  frontier  control,  to  gain  an
on(cid:220)the(cid:220)spot  insight  of  the  problems  encountered  in
other  Member  States.  With  the  agreement  of  the
respective  national  authorities,  long(cid:220)term  visits  will
make 
it  possible  for  officials  to  participate  more
actively  in  operations.  Similarly,  there  will  be  oppor(cid:220)
tunities  for  officials  of  several  Member  States  to  visit
another  Member  State.

- studies  and  research,  the  third  component  of  the
annual  programme,  aims  in  particular  at  the  design
and  dissemination  of  teaching  materials  (educational
tools,  software,  etc.).  Research  could  be  more  closely
focused  on  the  development  of  tools  and  the  prep(cid:220)
aration  of  actual  cases.  In  this  context,  projects  which
aim  at  document  dissemination  or  access 
(via
databases)  could  also  be  taken  into  acount,  making  it

institutional, 

improve  cooperation  between  national
possible  to 
authorities.  Existing 
legislative  and
regulatory  fields,  or  those  coming  into  being,  could
be  the  central  topic  of  research,  in  particular  in  prep(cid:220)
aration  for  the  entry  into  force  of  the  Treaty  of
Amsterdam.

Projects  are  selected  by  a  Management  Committee
consisting  of  a  representative  of  each  Member  State  and
chaired  by  a  representative  of  the  Commission.  To  be
considered  projects  must  be  of  interest  to  the  Union  and
must  involve  at  least  two  Member  States.  The  applicant
countries  can  be  associated  with  such  projects, 
in
accordance  with  Article  10  of  the  Joint  Action,  if  this  is
in  line  with  the  objectives  of  the  programme.  In  addition,
the  programme  does  not  exclude  the  participation  of
non(cid:220)member  countries,  provided  their  presence  is  in  the
interests  of  the  Union.

2.(cid:217)Structure  of  the  annual  programme,  fields  of  action

for  1998  and  total  appropriation

has 

programme 

broad  objectives
The  Odysseus 
concerning  asylum, 
immigration  and  the  crossing  of
external  borders.  These  are  specific  fields  and  call  for
different  types  of  partnership.  Certain  sectors,  such  as
the  Sherlock  programme,  require  strict  confidentiality,
while  others  are  open 
to
to 
non(cid:220)governmental  organisations,  or  even  to  companies
from  the  business  world.  This 
is  why  the  Odysseus
programme  is  addressed  to  a  broad  public,  ranging  from
the  authorities  responsible  for  the  above  fields  to  bodies,
associations  or  companies  which  operate  in  relation  to
them.

the  academic  world, 

The  structure  of  the  Odysseus  programme  reflects  this
diversity,  by  assigning  priority  to  the  three  main  areas
(asylum,  immigration,  external  borders),  where  the  tradi(cid:220)
tional  forms  of  cooperation,  training,  exchanges  and
studies,  will  apply,  preference  being  given 
the
problems  facing  Member  States  in  these  fields.  Priority
has  been  given  to  two  areas  in  this  annual  programme:
one  for  pressing  matters,  the  other  for  the  applicant
countries,  in  the  framework  of  the  partnership  worked
out  by  the  Commission.  The  annual  programme  will  be
implemented  in  successive  stages,  and  priority  will  be
given  to  areas  of  common  interest  to  the  Union  and  the
Member  States  and  particularly 
topical  subjects,
especially  those  currently  being  discussed  in  the  Council,
while  other  more  specific  aspects  can  be  dealt  with  later.

to 

to 

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In  all  the  programmes  managed  by  the  Commission,
increasing  emphasis  must  be  placed  on  the  assessment  of
operations  carried  out  under  the  programme.

within  the  framework  of  the  accession  partnership
with  the  applicant  countries,

Asylum

-(cid:217)The  entry  into  force  of  the  Dublin  Convention  is  a
the
for 
its  application  require  the  member

implementation  and 

top  priority, 
conditions  of 
States  to  provide  training,

its 

-(cid:217)in  its  initial  phase,  the  annual  programme  seeks  to
place  an  emphasis  on  best  practices  as  regards
procedures  for  examining  asylum  applications.

Beyond  that,  increased  cooperation  in  other  areas  of
asylum  would  be  beneficial.  On(cid:220)the(cid:220)spot  comparisons
during  exchanges  will  enable  officials  to  become  more
familiar  with  systems  other  than  those  they  themselves
employ,  and  on  some  occasions  enable  them  to  transpose
solutions  from  their  own  administration.

-(cid:217)Such  cooperation 

is  particularly  useful 

the
applicant  countries,  as  a  number  of  them  have  only
recent  experience  in  this  field.  It  enables  them  to
acquire  the  basics  of  the  process  of  managing  asylum
applications.  Thus,  projects  will  be  able  to  relate  to
initiatives  associated  with  the  Dublin  Convention,

in 

-(cid:217)since  in  another  context  the  Commission  manages  the
budget  headings  relating  to  the  financing  of  specific
projects  for  displaced  persons,  asylum(cid:220)seekers  and
refugees  (Joint  Actions  97/477/JHA  and  97/478/
JHA  of  22  July  1997,  OJ  L  205,  31.7.1997),  an  effort
will  be  made  to  ensure  that  the  operations  are
complementary  to  measures  in  another  context.

Immigration

The  two  complementary  aspects  of  the  policy  outlined  in
the  Commission  memorandum 
1994)
concerning  immigration  and  asylum  must  be  taken  into
account.

(February 

-(cid:217)This 

third(cid:220)country  nationals 

is  why  operations  must  concern  both 
and 

the
the
admission  of 
prevention  of  illegal  immigration.  On  the  first  point
the  programme  seeks  to  stress  the  subjects  closely
related 
the
admission  of 
to  Member
States  of  the  European  Union,

the  draft  convention  concerning 

third(cid:220)country  nationals 

to 

-(cid:217)the  programme  also  seeks  to  emphasise  best  practices

as  regards  immigration  control.

The  Commission  and  the  Management  Committee  will
take  steps  to  avoid  overlapping  with  other  Community
programmes  involving  similar  operations.

Crossing  of  external  borders

the  use  of 

the  campaign  against 

-(cid:217)An  essential  part  of  the  "external  borders’  aspect  will
be 
forged
documents,  in  connection  with  the  results  of  the
Sherlock  programme.  Projects  committed  or  accepted
under  the  Sherlock  programme  for  this  budgetary
period  will  be  carried  out  under 
the  Odysseus
programme  for  1998,  in  accordance  with  Article  19
of  the  Joint  Action,

-(cid:217)problems  relating  to  different  types  of  borders  (sea,
land  and  air)  will  be  taken  into  account  using  an
approach  targeting  each  category.

Projects  could  highlight  special  border  control  issues  in
conjunction  with  a  precise  geographical  approach,
targeting  frontier  regions  with  special  features  (Baltic
States,  Balkans,  European  Mediterranean  countries).

In  the  light  of  these  considerations,  observation  of  the
situation  in  the  various  related  areas  and  the  work  of
specialised  groups,  the  following  fields  of  action  are
proposed  for  the  1998  programme,  within  the  framework
of  an  overall  estimated  budget  of  ECU  3  million.  Tradi(cid:220)
tional  methods  of  cooperation  will  be  combined  with  the
more  specific  objectives,  not  forgetting  the  share  set
aside  for  assessment.

Field  of  action  (a)

Training  is  at  the  very  heart  of  the  priorities  of  the
Joint  Action.  Since  it  is  the  first  year  of  the  Joint  Action’s
implementation,  projects  must  give  priority  to  basic
immigration.  The
knowledge  concerning  asylum  and 
situation 
the
Sherlock  programme  has  been  implemented  in  previous
years,  basic  training  was  given  priority  in  the  initial  years
and  more  specialised  fields  may  now  be  covered.

is  different  for  forged  documents;  as 

-(cid:217)with  regard  to  the  second  point,  projects  could
concern  readmission  agreements  and  the  practical
third(cid:220)country
methods 
nationals.  Projects  submitted  within  this  framework
should  relate  by  way  of  priority  to  the  work  in
progress  within  the  European  Union,  or  should  come

readmitting 

illegal 

of 

-(cid:217)The 

seeks 

annual  programme 

the
considerations  relating  to  the  measures  implemented
at  Union  level.  Thus,  projects  will  tend  to  improve
national 
of  Community
instruments,  procedures,  methods  and  techniques,

knowledge 

officials’ 

stress 

to 

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4.6.98

-(cid:217)secondly,  projects  will  have  to  concentrate  on  matters
which  could  be  the  subject  of  closer  cooperation,
both  between  the  Member  States  and  with  the
applicant  countries.

specifically  concerns  justice  and  home  affairs  in  general
and  external  border  controls  in  particular.

Field  of  action  (b)

Topical  subjects: (cid:216)This  involves  responding  to  specific
needs  and  problems  facing  the  Member  States  (new
regulations,  new  practices,  new  technologies,  etc.)  The
annual  programme  seeks  to  place  at  the  disposal  of
facilitating  a  prompt
instrument 
Member  States  an 
response  to  matters  of  immediate  concern.  This  chapter
could  in  particular  address  the  measures  taken  under  the
action  plan  to  combat  the  influx  of  migrants  from  Iraq
and  the  neighbouring  region.

Field  of  action  (c)

Exchanges  of  officials

traditional  exchanges  of
This  field  mainly  concerns 
officials,  over  a  sufficient  period  of  time,  to  familiarise
them  with  the  practices  implemented  in  other  adminis(cid:220)
trations  in  the  various  areas  of  the  programme.  Such
exchanges  could  be  of  interest  to  staff  reponsible  for
level,
implementing  procedures  at 
depending  on  the  administrative  organisation  of  each
Member  State,  and  to  officials  responsible  for  devising
them.  Exchanges  could  also  include  officials  responsible
for  on(cid:220)the(cid:220)spot  controls  or  who  are  in  direct  contact
with 
(asylum(cid:220)seekers,
foreigners  in  an  illegal  situation  pending  repatriation,
etc.)

local  or  national 

non(cid:220)Community 

nationals 

Field  of  action  (d)

Cooperation  with  non(cid:220)member  countries

-(cid:217)In  the  context  of  the  accession  partnership,  applicant
states  must  gradually  integrate  the  Union’s  acquis,  in
the  broadest  sense,  into  the  areas  outlined  in  the
programme.  This  requirement  entails  a  knowledge  of
legal 
instruments,  procedures,  methods  and  tech(cid:220)
niques.  Implementation  of  the  programme  in  the  first
year  will  focus  on  the  acquisition  of  basic  knowledge.

-(cid:217)The  lion’s  share  allocated  to  the  applicant  countries
of
excludes 
by 
no  means 
non(cid:220)Community 
the
countries. 
association  of  non(cid:220)Community  countries  which  are
not  applicants  could  be  based  on  a  geographical
approach,  provided  the  projects  are  in  the  interests  of
the  Union.

association 
example, 

the 
For 

this 

stage  of 

implementation  of 

At 
the  Odysseus
programme,  priority  must  be  given  to  the  conditions  for
applying  the  Dublin  convention,  and  the  aspects  relating
to  external  border  controls.

Special  attention  will  be  paid  to  projects 
involving
training,  exchanges  and  studies  associating  non(cid:220)member
countries,  and  in  particular  the  applicant  countries.

Field  of  action  (e)

Studies  and  research

The  annual  programme  aims  to  prioritise  issues  in  the
field  of  justice  and  home  affairs.  Particular  emphasis  will
be  placed  on  the  subjects  referred  to  in  the  Council
Resolution  of  18  December  1997 
laying  down  the
priorities  for  cooperation  in  the  field  of  justice  and  home
affairs  for  the  period  from  12  January  1998  to  the  date
of  entry  into  force  of  the  Amsterdam  Treaty,  which  serve
as  guidelines  for  work  in  hand  in  the  Council  working
parties  (OJ  C  11,  15.1.1998).

Priority  will  be  given  to  projects  which  could  have
practical  implications  for  future  legislative  instruments,  in
particular  the  issues  which  are  important  in  the  context
of  the  Commission’s  legislative  priorities.  For  example,
topics  relating  to  temporary  protection,  implementation
of  the  Dublin  Convention  or  the  draft  convention  on  the
admission  of  third(cid:220)country  nationals  to  the  European
Union  could  usefully  be  the  subject  of  study  and
research  in  1998.  The  programme  aims  to  encourage  a
forward(cid:220)looking  and  dynamic  aproach  rather  than  one
which  is  statistical,  descriptive  or  historical.

This  objective  could  be  adopted  for  the  various  types  of
action  (mainly  training  and  exchanges  of  officials).  Steps
will  be  taken  to  make  sure  they  are  complementary  to
other  programmes  under  Title  VI,  as  well  as  with  the
other  Community  aid  programmes, 
in  particular  the
horizontal  PHARE  programme,  one  aspect  of  which

The  Commission  also  wishes  to  emphasise  the  dissemi(cid:220)
nation  of  information,  by  the  most  suitable  techniques,  in
order  to  reach  as  large  an  audience  as  possible  among
the  officials  concerned.  This  could  be  done  through
various  teaching  tools,  ensuring  the  development  of
training  or  the  dissemination  of  basic  knowledge  for
officials.

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Field  of  action  (f)

E v a l u a t i o n

Evaluation  is  a  Commission  priority  in  the  context  of  the
programmes  it  manages.  The  1998  programme  is  the  first
budgetary  period  of 
the
assessment  can  therefore  mainly  cover  the 
individual
projects  implemented  during  this  period  to  make  sure
they  match  the  definition  of  the  programme.  At  a  later
date,  the  assessment  will  be  able  to  focus  on  the
programme  itself.

the  Odysseus  programme; 

An  estimated  ECU  12  million 
is  provided  for  the
Odysseus  programme  for  the  five  years  of  implemen(cid:220)
tation.  In  1998  an  estimated  ECU  3  million  could  be
allocated,  made  up  of  the  reserve  of  ECU  2  million,  plus
the  ECU  1  million  allocated  for  the  1998  Sherlock
programme.  Since 
the  Odysseus  Joint  Action  was
lodging  applications
adopted  before  the  deadline  for 
with  the  Sherlock  Committee,  no  allocation  has  been
made  and  therefore  the  amount  remains  untouched.

The  estimated  amounts  to  carry  out  the  priority  projects
are:

Field  of  action

Estimated  total

(a)(cid:217)Training

(b) Topical  issues

(c) Exchanges  of  officials

(d) Studies  and  research

(e) Evaluation

1(cid:216)000(cid:216)000

1(cid:216)000(cid:216)000

600(cid:216)000

325(cid:216)000

75(cid:216)000

Total(cid:216)

3(cid:216)000(cid:216)000

With  regard  to  the  procedure  for  the  submission  of
projects,  the  memorandum  on  the  financing  of  Title  VI,
which  was  revised  in  February  1998  and  is  available  in  all
languages,  provides  the  necessary  information;  a  model
application  and  precise  instructions  for  preparing  the
financial  statement  and  a  model  budget  are  attached  to
it.  You  are  strongly  advised  to  refer  to  this  document
when  preparing  projects.

The  selection  of  projects  for  financing  under  the  1998
budget  will  take  place  in  two  stages.  The  first  deadline
for  applications 
the
Management  Committee  is  5  June  1998.  The  applications
will  be  examined  and  the  selection  made  in  July.  A
second  deadline 
is  fixed  for  30  September  1998  to
examine  projects  submitted  after  the  first  deadline.

secretariat  of 

reach 

the 

to 

The  application,  duly  signed  by  the  person  responsible
for  the  project,  must  be  accompanied  by  a  brief  note
(two  to  three  pages  maximum)  summarising  the  project.
A  financial  statement  containing  as  precise  and  as
detailed  a  cost  estimate  as  possible  for  the  project  must
be  included.  Item  9  of  the  form  (Description  of  the
project)  must  contain  a  succinct  and  precise  description
of  the  purpose  of  the  project.

Recipients  of  subsidies  under  this  programme  undertake
to  include  an  explicit  reference  in  any  publication  or
external  broadcast  to  Community  financing  obtained
under  the  Odysseus  programme.

Project  sponsors  must  present  a  final  report  on  the
implementation  of  the  project  within  three  months  of  its
conclusion.  Final  payment  of  the  subsidy  will  be  made
only  on  production  of  the  final  report  and  supporting
documents.

Regardless  of  the  percentage  of  Community  financing
granted, 
financial
statement  must  be  accounted  for.

total  expenditure 

shown  on 

the 

3.(cid:217)Potential  candidates  and  submission  of  projects

Requests  for  further  information  and  forms  should  be
addressed  to:

the  administrations  of
The  potential  candidates  are 
Member  States  responsible  for  asylum,  immigration,  the
crossing  of  external  borders  or  other 
in
particular  for  training  officials  in  these  fields,  and  higher
education  and  research 
institutions,  non(cid:220)governmental
organisations,  associations  and  foundations.  However,
other  bodies  should  not  be  excluded,  in  particular  those
operating 
in  areas  related  to  the  objectives  of  the
programme.  Applications  from  individuals  will  not  be
eligible.

services, 

Mr  Wenceslas  de  Lobkowicz,  Chairman,  Odysseus
Programme  Management  Committee
Mr  Arnaud  Cohet,  Secretary  to  the  Committee
European  Commission,  Secretariat(cid:220)General,  Task  Force
for  Justice  and  Home  Affairs,  Unit  1
Rue  de  la  Loi/Wetstraat  200,  Office  N(cid:220)9  5/27A
B(cid:220)1049  Brussels.
Tel.:  (32(cid:220)2)  296(cid:216)67(cid:216)46,
Fax:  (32(cid:220)2)  296(cid:216)59(cid:216)97,
E(cid:220)mail:  arnaud.Cochet-sg.cec.be