WRITTEN QUESTION E-3170/00 by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN) to the Commission. Setting up of an immigration monitoring centre.
Date: 2000-10-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Apulia, EU migration policy, exchange of information, illegal migration

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/197

(2001/C 136 E/229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3170/00

by Adriana Poli Bortone (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Setting up of an immigration monitoring centre

(10 October 2000)

Following the debate on the report submitted to the European Parliament on 30 March 2000 by Jorge
Salvador Hernandez Mollar on the action plans drawn up by the High-Level Working Group on the main
countries of origin and transit of asylum-seekers and migrants, will the Commission not propose the
setting up of an immigration monitoring centre in Italy, and specifically in Puglia, which is a habitual
region of transit for illegal immigration?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(10 November 2000)

On 24 March 2000 the Commission presented to the Council and Parliament a scoreboard to chart
progress on the creation of an area of (cid:145)freedom, security and justice in the European Union(cid:146) (1), stressing
how important it was to improve the exchange of statistics and information on asylum and immigration,
with a view to managing migration flows more efficiently.

In that context, it referred to the setting-up of a (virtual) European centre for monitoring migration flows,
calling to mind the preparatory measures financed by the Odysseus programme on the basis of a prior
feasibility study.

Following its communication of 23 February 1994 on immigration and asylum policy (2), the Commission
had requested University College London to carry out a study analysing in detail all the information
collected by the institutions relating to international migration in Europe, with a view to identifying
shortcomings, suggesting the best means to remedy these shortcomings and outlining the options open to
the Commission to attain that end, including the setting up of a new body.

The results of that study led to two pilot projects under the Odysseus programme. In 1998, as part of the
first project, the Free University of Brussels developed a European university network to find and exchange
information on asylum and immigration. In 1999, the second project led University College London to
develop a network and website known as the (cid:145)European migration information network(cid:146) (EMIN).

Bearing in mind these attainments and the work of the (cid:145)Centre for information and exchange on asylum(cid:146)
(CIREA) and the (cid:145)Centre for information and exchange on external border crossing(cid:146) (Cirefi) in the Council,
together with the statistical action plan adopted by the Council in 1998 and implemented by Eurostat, the
Commission is currently examining with the Member States how to develop these initiatives further in
keeping with the objectives which have been reaffirmed on a number of occasions, and by Parliament in
particular.

(1) COM(2000) 167 final.
(2) COM(94) 23 final.

(2001/C 136 E/230)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3177/00

by Luis Berenguer Fuster (PSE) to the Commission

(10 October 2000)

Subject: Transparency

Since it took office, the Prodi Commission has made repeated promises regarding transparency. Transpar-
ency in the management of public affairs would require that no meetings be held in secret and that, in any
case, the substance of all meetings be made public.