Home Affairs Ministers want to further strengthen the European border management agency FRONTEX and cooperate closely with countries of origin and transit on migration issues

Given the anticipated migration rise in this spring via the sea towards Europe and the related risks to the life of numerous people, the EU home affairs ministers and European Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini consider it essential to cooperate closely on migration issues with countries of origin and transit at the EU’s southern and eastern borders. At the same time, surveillance of the EU’s external borders is to be stepped up. To this end, the European border management agency FRONTEX must be given the necessary means and competences.

At today’s Council meeting in Brussels, Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble therefore outlined the current status of consultations regarding the proposal to create Rapid Border Intervention Teams. The proposed Rapid Border Intervention Teams are to be composed of experts from the Member States and will be sent by FRONTEX to those Member States which are particularly affected by illegal migration. The German Presidency seeks to achieve consensus between the Parliament and the Council regarding the Regulation before the next meeting of home affairs ministers in April.

The new Regulation would also make it possible for the first time in the framework of European cooperation for guest officers to be granted executive powers within a team led by the Member State hosting the operation. This would allow border police officers of the teams to be deployed even more effectively. In Europe, only the German Federal Police has comparable provisions granting executive powers to guest officers which during the 2006 FIFA World Cup proved very helpful. The draft regulation is based on a German proposal.

Federal Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and Vice-President Frattini will continue to support FRONTEX in setting up a technical central register known as the «toolbox». The Regulation establishing FRONTEX of October 2004 already included provisions on centralized records of technical equipment which Member States are willing to make available for temporary use to protect the external borders. The register is to include surveillance aircraft, helicopters, patrol boats and equipment to control external borders. FRONTEX wants to initiate this form of cooperation as soon as possible. Also several member states have already announced concrete contributions.

In Brussels, Federal Minister Schäuble stated,

«Today, Vice-President Frattini and I called upon all Member States to support the agency in setting up the technical central register and to provide the necessary operational equipment. Citizens expect Europe to provide effective protection for the common external borders. Only together and with solidarity can we effectively combat illegal migration.»

He added that Germany set a good example in contributing to the central register. The Federal Police has already registered four helicopters for land and sea surveillance, one boat for operations in the North and Baltic Seas and portable thermal imaging cameras with the central FRONTEX register. Dr Schäuble underlined that the equipment is temporarily provided upon request together with the staff necessary to operate the equipment.

The EU home affairs ministers also discussed cooperation of the EU and its Member States with countries of origin and transit on migration issues.

«Due to the continuing pressure of immigration to Europe, preventing illegal migration remains a high priority, at both the European and the national level. To this end, the European Council of December 2006 assigned a number of tasks to the Council and the Commission. Already at our informal meeting in Dresden, we expressed our intent to work closely on migration issues with the countries of origin and transit at the EU’s eastern and southern borders. We were able today to continue the discussion initiated in Dresden,» Minister Schäuble said in Brussels.

Several ideas were already presented on how to establish partnerships with third countries, to create cooperation platforms and to draw up migratory profiles for specific countries. According to Minister Schäuble, partnerships between Member States and third countries could complement relations with third countries at Community level. These bilateral partnerships could be used to grant temporary residence rights to promote circular migration, to help build up border control or asylum systems in countries of origin or transit, and to support measures to reintegrate migrants. On the other hand, Schäuble stressed that third countries must respect readmission obligations, democratic principles and the rule of law.

Schäuble also said that the German Presidency wanted to achieve concrete progress as soon as possible on the basis of today’s discussions and the proposals presented by the Commission.

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