12 March Justice and Home Affairs Council

Date: 18/03/1999

GERMAN Interior Minister Otto Schily, who chaired the meeting, urged colleagues to ratify the three legal acts which are preventing Europol from functioning properly. Although the convention setting up the European police body entered into force in October, a protocol on privileges and immunities for its staff has still to be ratified by half the EU's 15 member states. Rules of procedure for Europol also have to be thrashed out. Ministers agreed to a Dutch request to extend Europol's mandate to include the forgery of money and means of payment.

MINISTERS reached agreement on fingerprinting illegal immigrants. Under the deal, member states will be obliged to take the fingerprints of all illegal immigrants caught entering the Union. The data will then be sent to Brussels, where they will be stored for up to two years. It will, be left up to member states to decide whether to take similar action against 'aliens' stopped within a state's borders.

MINISTERS discussed the vexed question of what to do with EU regulations in the field of justice and home affairs once the Amsterdam Treaty is ratified. Currently, governments have sole responsibility in this area, but the European Commission and member states will share competence once Amsterdam comes into force. Ministers agreed not to reopen “difficult and lengthy discussions” on previously agreed conventions, but to transpose them into EU law immediately.

EFFORTS to coordinate states' action against cross-border crime were boosted by the UK's decision to participate in some aspects of the Schengen free-movement accord. Ireland also promised to opt in to similar areas of the agreement.