Press Release: ARGO Work Programme 2005: a tool to deal with illegal immigration in the Mediterranean

The European Commission adopted on 29 June 2005 the ARGO Work Programme 2005, which aims to promote co-operation between Member States in the areas of external borders, visas, asylum and immigration. This year's Programme provides € 2 million out of a total budget of nearly € 6.7 million to support operational activities to address the emergencies caused by illegal immigration in the Mediterranean. This responds to the June 2005 Justice and Home Affairs Council call to address the crisis situation in the Mediterranean and to prevent the human tragedies that take place following attempts to enter the EU illegally by sea.