Migration, Asylum and Security : Border Challenges in an Enlarged EU

MIGRATION, ASYLUM AND SECURITY

Border Challenges in an Enlarged EU

9th and 10th December 2005

Venue: The Victoria Hotel, George Borg Olivier Street, Sliema (Malta)

Tel: 00356 21334711 Fax: 00356 21334771 Web: www.victoriahotel.com

Contact for hotel reservations Mr. Kevin Callus

To confirm your Attendance to the conference contact Mr. Jonathan Vassallo

CHALLENGE, «The Changing Landscape of European Liberty and Security», is a European Commission-funded project that seeks to facilitate a more responsive and responsible assessment of rules and practices of security. It examines the implications of these practices for civil liberties, human rights and social cohesion in an enlarged Europe. This conference represents a unique opportunity to discuss the relationships between the Accession Countries and their Neighbours in the Changing Landscape of Liberty and Security.

9th DECEMBER 2005

14:45 Registration

15:00 Welcome and opening remarks by Henry Frendo (University of Malta)

PANEL 1: IRREGULAR MIGRATION AND BORDERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE EU ENLARGEMENT

Chair: Henry Frendo

15:15Security Aspects in the Central Mediterranean (a senior immigration official from the Armed Forces of Malta)

15:30 Open Borders and Growing Numbers (1): Coping with illegal immigration by air, sea, including a changing profile of search and rescue missions (a senior immigration official)

15:45 (University of Barcelona), Migration, asylum and Security: The Case of Ceuta and Melilla (tbc)

16:00Salvatore Palidda (University of Genoa), Migration, asylum and Security: The Case of Lampedusa

16:15 Discussions

16:45 Coffee Break

17:00 Agnieszka Weinar, Stefan Batory Foundation/CMR Warsaw University(Poland), Irregular Migration in Poland after Accession

17:15 Angelina Tchorbadjiyska (European Institute Sofia), Irregular Migration and Borders in the Process towards Accession: The Bulgarian Experience

17:30 Andras Kovats, The unintended result of fight in Hungary: how the asylum applicants’ number is dropped (the access to the asylum procedure is critical - The case of Hungary

17:45 - Discussants: Elspeth Guild (Radboud University of Nijmegen) and Sergio Carrera (Centre for European Policy Studies)

18:00 End of First Day

Conference Dinner: 19.30

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10th DECEMBER 2005

10:00 Registration

PANEL 2: ASYLUM - EU POLICY AND REAL LIFE SITUATIONS

Chair: Didier Bigo (Sciences Po, FNSP)

10:15 Henry Frendo (University of Malta), Asylum: Changing Discourse and Increasing Tension: An Analytical Profile of the Caseloads, Percentages, Procedures and Problems in Malta (c.2001 -2005)

10:30 - Open Borders and Growing Numbers (2): Tourist Visa expiry, the recourse to asylum-seeking, hospitality and time-frames concerning rejected cases - (specialised police officer to be confirmed later)

10:45 - Judit Toth(Szeged University), The Proposal for Directive on Common Standard on Procedures for Return of Illegal Migrants

11:00 Discussions

12:00 Coffee Break

12:15 Neil Falzon (UNHCR Rep, Valletta), Asylum and burden-sharing in principle and in practice (tbc)

12:30 Charles Buttigieg, (Refugee Comissioner) The post-UNHCR Determination of Status Process in Malta: What explains the high percentage of protection and assistance being granted? (tbc)

12:45 Discussants: Michalis Lianos (University of Caen) and Joanna Apap (European Parliament)

13:30 Lunch

PANEL 3 - SECURITY: THE PRÜM CONVENTION, THE EU FIGHT AGAINST CROSS-BORDER AND TERRORISM, AND THE EC CONCEPT OF SECURITY»

Chair: Leslie Agius

15:00 Thierry Balzacq (Centre for European Policy Studies), Europeanization and Security: Inside and Outside Treaty Law

15:15 Elspeth Guild, Security and Irregularity: Defining the Individual

15:30 Martin Scicluna(Policy)and Brian Gatt(Operations), Detention in Malta (Joint presentation)

15:50 Anastassia Tsoukala,Defining the terrorist threat in the 21st century.

16:05 Paul Minderhoud (Radboud University of Nijmegen), The «Other» EU Security: Social Protection

16:20Discussants: Didier Bigo and Mario Caruana (Ministry of for Justice and Home Affairs, House of Catalunya(tbc)

Chair: Prof. Henry Frendo

(Open to the Press)

17:00 Concluding remarks by the Hon Dr. Tonio Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and home affairs