EU: German Presidency work programme
01 January 1999
The German Presidency work programme covering justice and home affairs in the EU is devoted to the continuation of work underway (the majority of proposals) and new initiatives.
In the field of asylum and refugee policy it is intended "to discuss the matter of to what extent.. the Dublin Convention should be amended when it is transformed into a legal act covered by the first pillar" (the Dublin Convention was adopted as an intergovernmental "third pillar" measure and ratified by national parliaments). It is also proposed that a "judicial network in the asylum sector for the members of [national] courts/review bodies" could be set up. For migration, admission and repatriation see the feature on pages 22-23.
On "illegal immigration" the programme says:
"Rapid and effective concerted measures against illegal immigration can be taken in other States only if prompt information is provided at the first sign of illegal migration movements which are liable to spread. A substantial part of migration flows reach EU territory via South-Eastern and Eastern Europe. The Central and East European States should therefore be involved in the early-warning-system.."
The programme states that the pre-accession pacts with the countries of central and eastern Europe and Cyprus need to be enforced as "the internal security situation in most of the applicant countries at present falls short of the in EU member states". It goes on to say that "the countries involved in the forthcoming wave of accessions are new democracies which have had to rebuild their security organs from scratch".
The work programme notes that the "secure channels of communication" for the liaison offices set up to combat terrorism under the "Trevi cooperation" urgently needs modernising.
Finally, the work programme says that changing the Schengen Information System (SIS) into the "European Information System" needs to be explored and in this context:
negotiations must be conducted with the United Kingdom and Ireland on their participation in the current SIS. The Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement may have to be amended as a consequence.
In the same context, the matter of access by Europol to SIS investigation data is to be examined..
Programme of work under the German Presidency of the EU Council, Incoming Presidency to K4 Committee, 14414/98, Limite, CK4 54, 21.12.98.