| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.20, 3.6.04 |
| Publication Date | 03/06/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 03/06/04 FRANCE and Germany are engaged in a behind-the-scenes competition to land the job of EU's top policeman, as both countries want one of their own nationals to head the Union's police agency Europol. Jacques Franquet, who leads the international cooperation service in the French police, is considered by EU diplomats to be the front-runner. However, his ambitions could be thwarted by Jürgen Storbeck, who is anxious to be reappointed as director of The Hague-based agency and is thought to enjoy the support of several new member states. The German has, in effect, been the head of Europol for a decade - in 1994, he was nominated as coordinator of the Europol Drugs Unit, which later evolved into a police agency with a remit extended to organized crime and terrorism. But there is no guarantee either man will emerge victorious next Tuesday (8 June), when the Union's justice and interior ministers are due to decide who should be Europol's next chief. As the director must be appointed by the unanimous agreement of member states, it is possible that a decision may have to be deferred until the EU summit on 17-18 June. Senior Italian officer Emanuele Marotta is also in the race. The ministers - meeting in Luxembourg - are meanwhile set to discuss proposals for re-establishing the anti-terrorism unit in Europol. It came under attack from France's then interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy following the 11 March train bombings in Madrid. Sarkozy argued that the unit had not been properly resourced to have an effective role in the fight against terrorism. At the time, it had just 15 full-time officers and seven additional staff seconded from member states. Since then, the agency's managers have requested that it be assigned another 20 staff to analyze the growing body of data on terrorists that the agency has amassed. The future of this unit is one of the questions being considered by Gijs de Vries, who was appointed in March as the EU's anti-terrorism coordinator. According to diplomats, his first report - set to be presented to the Luxembourg meeting - will criticize Germany, Italy, Greece, Estonia and Slovakia for not meeting a deadline set by EU leaders of introducing the European arrest warrant by 1 June. The warrant system has been designed to allow a court in one member state order that a suspect known or thought to be on the territory of another be apprehended. In addition, the Dutchman is due to argue that there is a dearth of cooperation between the various EU bodies dedicated to the fight against terrorism. The Council of Ministers has both a terrorism working party and a similar group on terrorism, which operate in isolation from each other. De Vries is thought to be concerned too about the absence of a committee dealing with the financing of terrorist organizations. Ministers will also be seeking to put the final touches to a deal allowing scientific researchers from non-EU countries the right to come to the Union to work in universities or industry. Article looks at some of the issues to be discussed at the Justice and Home Affairs Council, Luxembourg, 8 June 2004, including who will become the new head of Europol, and to hear a first report from the EU's anti-terrorism co-ordinator, Gijs de Vries. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs, Security and Defence |
