EU: Informal meeting JHA Council - Dublin
01 September 1996
The members of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers (JHA Council) held an "Informal" meeting in Dublin on 26-27 September. This meeting replaced the usual decision-making Council meeting usually held in late September. Under the Irish Presidency of the EU there will be only one formal meeting on this Council at the end of November in Brussels.
Despite its "informality" the meeting got through quite a bit of business. Two measures were signed by the ministers on behalf of their government in Dublin while other ministers attending the Telecommunications Council in Brussels formally adopted them. These are 1) the "Protocol to the Convention on the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' Financial Interests": this adds to the Convention signed on 26 July 1995 by introducing measures to tackle "passive corruption (where an official allows himself [sic] to be corrupted" and "active corruption (where somebody corrupts an official" and 2) the "Signing of the Convention relating to extradition between the member states of the European Union" (see Statewatch, vol 6 no 1, 3 & 4). The same Telecommunications Council in Brussels on 27 September also adopted a Recommendation on "Combatting the illegal employment of third-country nationals" which had been agreed "in principle" at the meeting of the JHA Council in Luxembourg on 4 June (see feature in this issue).
The JHA Ministers in Dublin agreed on three Joint Actions to be agreed at the November meeting of the Council: a) yet another extension in the mandate of the Europol Drugs Unit (EDU) in the Hague to cover "trafficking in people" including sexual violence against children. As the EDU cannot hold information on individuals this will be based on the exchange of information between member states; b) a long-term training programme deals with the trafficking of people; c) "Establishment of a Union-wide list of special abilities and expert knowledge in the area of international organised crime". This list will cover the areas currently assigned to the EDU who will draw up and manage it. It will be similar to the "centre of excellence" Directory to combat terrorism (see G8 feature in this issue).
The informal JHA Council discussed a draft Resolutions on maximum penalties for drug offences, and another one on increased police and forensic cooperation to combat drugs both of which the Irish Presidency hope to present to the November Council. The "temporary protection of refugees" was discussed concerning draft proposals for the harmonisation of the conditions of reception (social benefits etc). The German delegation maintained the "temporary protection" had to be considered together with "burden-sharing". However, they did not agree on a Belgian proposal for a Joint Action to improve judicial cooperation in the area of the trafficking of people and the sexual exploitation of children.
Signing of the Protocol to the Convention on the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' Financial Interests, press release, Dublin 2.10.96; Signing of the Convention relating to extradition between the member states of the European Union, Dublin, 2.10.96; Telecommunications Council, press release, 27.9.96; Report on the Informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 25/26 September 1996, German Federal Interior Ministry, 1.10.96.