Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: Implementing the Hague Programme: the way forward
Date: 2006-12-06
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU police cooperation, area of freedom, security and justice, customs cooperation, fight against crime, free movement of persons, judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU, private international law, public safety

10.3.2007

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/25

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the following Communications from the Commission
to the Council and the European Parliament:

Implementing the Hague Programme: the way forward

Evaluation of EU policies on freedom, security and justice

Report on the implementation of the Hague Programme for 2005

(2007/C 57/05)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment of 28 June 2006 entitled Implementing the Hague Programme: the way forward (COM(2006) 331 final);

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment of 28 June 2006 entitled Evaluation of EU policies on freedom, security and justice (COM(2006) 332 final);

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment of 28 June 2006 entitled Report on the implementation of the Hague Programme for 2005 (COM(2006)
333 final);

HAVING REGARD TO the decision taken by the European Commission on 28 June 2006 to consult it on
this subject, under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

HAVING REGARD TO the decision taken by its Bureau on 25 April to instruct its Commission for Consti-
tutional Affairs, European Governance and the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice to draw up an opinion
on these subjects;

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment entitled The Hague programme: Ten priorities for the next five years. The partnership for European renewal in
the field of freedom, security and justice (COM(2005) 184);

HAVING REGARD TO its opinion of 16 February 2006 on a related package of proposals and measures
in the field of freedom, security and justice (CdR 122/2005 (1));

HAVING REGARD TO its draft opinion (CdR 234/2006) adopted on 17 October 2006 by its Commis-
sion for Constitutional Affairs, European Governance and the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
(rapporteur: Mr Opstelten, Mayor of Rotterdam);

WHEREAS

1.

2.

3.

the extent to which European policy on freedom, security and justice proves to be successful over the
next few years will be of decisive importance to the judgement of European citizens as to the added
value provided by the European Union;

regional and local authorities have responsibilities in the field of public order and security and the
effectiveness and efficiency of EU policy is thus also determined to a considerable extent by the involve-
ment of these bodies;

the policy on freedom, security and justice has made a ‘step forward towards achieving greater
maturity’, thereby providing the ideal opportunity to make it tie in more effectively with the role of
regional and local authorities;

adopted the following opinion at its 67th plenary session, held on 6 and 7 December 2006 (meeting
of 6 December):

1. Views of the Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions,

1.1
believes that regional and local authorities have a key
role to play in the policy area of freedom, security and justice;
draws attention to the fact that, in its earlier opinion (CdR 122/
2005), it set out concrete recommendations for enhancing the
effectiveness and efficiency of EU policy in this field by paying
more attention to the experience of regional and local authori-
ties in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the
policy;

(1) OJ C 192, 16.8.2006.

greatly appreciates the efforts made by the Commission
1.2
in the field of freedom, security and justice; the Communica-
tions under review reveal an ambition and bold determination
to achieve these objectives; does, however, express its concern
over the considerable discrepancies with regard to the imple-
mentation of
in the EU
the Hague Programme measures
Member States;

has understanding,

1.3
in view of the complex nature of
this policy area and the time constraints to which the drawing-
up of these Communications was subject, for the fact that it is
no easy task to achieve more direct involvement of regional and
local authorities; does, however, deplore the fact
the
Commission's intention in the short term, to develop a way of
working which takes account of the recommendations put forward by
the CoR is not mentioned in the Communications under review;

that

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Official Journal of the European Union

10.3.2007

believes that such a way of working still can and will be
1.4
developed inter alia, on the basis of the discussion announced
by the Commission in the conclusions to Communication COM
(2006) 331;

endorses the choice of policy areas requiring closer
1.5
attention during the period of operation of
the Hague
Programme; and appreciates the efforts made by the Commis-
sion to streamline and speed up the decision-making process as
much as possible by making use of legal mechanisms provided
for under existing European treaties;

regrets the absence as yet of sufficient support for actu-

1.6
ally adopting a better approach in the short term;

endorses the need to improve monitoring and evalua-
1.7
tion mechanisms, and notes that the proposals put forward by
the Commission are in line with its recommendations. This
represents a step in the right direction towards the adoption of
a more systematic, structured and integrated approach. This will
make it possible to render the policy more readily comprehen-
sible, more identifiable and more feasible. By building on the
knowledge and experience of national, regional and local autho-
rities, a coherent and targeted set of indicators can be developed
which provides valuable information and prevents unnecessary
duplication;

1.8 wishes to do its utmost to bring about close involve-
ment of regional and local authorities in the organisation and
implementation of the evaluations, and supports the proposal
to designate contact points in the EU Institutions, too, for the
dialogue with the Commission with a view, also, to improving
the quality and effectiveness of the evaluation reports;

underlines the importance of carrying out

1.9
thorough
strategic policy evaluations in respect of a number of parts of
the policy and expects that this will make it possible to pay
more attention to the consequences in respect of implementa-
tion practice at regional and local level.

2. Recommendations of the Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions,

2.1
calls for clearer agreements with regard to cooperation
between the European Institutions and regional and local autho-
rities in the field of freedom, security and justice;

2.2
urges that steps be taken in the short term to demon-
strate how its earlier proposals have been taken into account in
the elaboration of the Communications under review;

2.3
urgently recommends that the European Commission,
the European Council and the European Parliament seek prac-
tical, feasible and workable solutions in the short term to the
shortcomings which have been highlighted in the implementa-
tion at national level of the mechanisms defined in Title VI of
the Treaty on European Union;

Brussels, 6 December 2006.

urges, in line with the view set out in its earlier opinion,
2.4
that regional and local authorities be more directly involved in
the establishment of the annual scoreboard, for example by
holding hearings with teams of experts. There is bound to be
interest not only in what has been achieved on paper but also,
and above all, in the practical consequences, which are closely
linked to the development of monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms;

notes that

2.5
this evaluation process clearly reveals the
scant progress made on combating illegal immigration. It there-
fore urges the EU to engage fully in developing a common
immigration policy that addresses the various complex aspects
relating to irregular immigrants;

the
calls for the common underlying principles for
2.6
establishment of a coherent European framework for integration
in the short
term to be further developed into a practical
‘toolbox’ for regional and local authorities, with a view to stimu-
lating the integration process at regional and local
level and
rendering it more professional;

proposes,

2.7
in line with the views set out in its earlier
opinion, that steps be taken to promote the development of a
situation whereby, at local
level too, the integration process
clearly forms an integral part of the various strands of govern-
ment policy;

2.8
urges that regional and local authorities be involved in
the drawing up of draft legislation in respect of the establish-
ment of an early warning and information network covering
infrastructure of critical importance;

2.9
advises the Commission, in the context of the debate on
how to do (more) justice to the expectations of Community citi-
zens in respect of EU policy in the fields of freedom, security
and justice and how to make this policy more effective, to make
provision also for direct discussions with regional and local
authorities, NGOs, the business community, etc.;

recommends the Commission to pay considerable
2.10
attention to preventing the proposed monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms from being organised in a bureaucratic way and
ensuring that they are geared to implementation procedures;

urges that, when the proposed measures for providing
2.11
information for all ‘stakeholders’ are being implemented, steps
be taken to ensure that
the knowledge and experience of
regional and local authorities play an important role in this
context;

requests the Commission also to take account of the
2.12
CoR's earlier recommendations when it implements the propo-
sals with regard to the national reporting mechanisms. National
reports should also, as a rule, explicitly indicate how regional
and local authorities are involved in the implementation of the
policy. A simple statement to the effect that consultations are
carried out with some degree of regularity is unsatisfactory.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Michel DELEBARRE