Justice and home affairs debate hots up

Date: 01/04/1999

By Gareth Harding

The European Parliament is flexing its muscles on justice and home affairs issues just weeks before policy-making in this area stops being the exclusive preserve of national governments.

The assembly's civil liberties committee attempted to thrash out a common Parliament position on the controversial topic last week and MEPs are due to adopt a raft of internal affairs reports later this month which will put 'clear blue water' between the assembly and the Council of Ministers.

Although MEPs have no legislative powers in the justice and home affairs field, they have been able to give opinions on Council proposals since 1997. The Amsterdam Treaty, which is due to enter into force by the summer, will formalise this right and bring justice issues firmly within the EU's orbit.

Italian Socialist MEP Rinaldo Bontempi says the new treaty will open up great possibilities for innovation, but that putting this into practice will not be easy. "There is a mountain of virtual law confronting us," he said, referring to the 20 conventions signed but not ratified by EU governments.

Bontempti wants the Parliament to play an "initiating" role in justice and home affairs issues, and aims to draw up concrete proposals before June's Euro-elections.

In the area of asylum and immigration, Bontempi's blueprint is likely to draw on reports by Luxembourg Christian Democrat MEP Vivian Reding and her Austrian colleague Hubert Pirker which are due to be voted on later this month.

Whilst welcoming the debate launched by the Council's paper on the issue, Reding claims governments often blur the crucial distinction between illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. "The EU must fight against criminals, traffickers and illegal immigrants entering the Union with all its might, but real asylum-seekers should be welcomed with open arms," she said.

Instead of drawing up new laws, Reding argues that the bloc should apply the numerous international conventions to protect refugees and asylum-seekers correctly. She says minimum standards for receiving refugees must also be agreed.

Whilst her report was adopted by the civil liberties committee with few changes, MEPs rejected Pirker's proposal to approve a convention on fingerprinting illegal immigrants recently agreed by ministers.

Although Parliament opinions are not legally-binding, both reports would set MEPs on a collision course with the Council if adopted by the full assembly later this month.

Sparks are also likely to fly in the contentious area of EU action to combat crime. A report by Dutch Liberal MEP Jan Wiebenga calls for a gradual harmonisation of measures to tackle crimes such as the trade in humans, money-laundering, drug-smuggling and paedophilia.