Europe seeks to end Europol top-job dispute

By David Cronin

Date: 17/02/05

EU governments will seek next week to end a protracted dispute between France and Germany over who should take the top post at Europol.

Paris and Berlin are equally adamant that one of its nationals should become director at the European police office, despite efforts by the last three holders of the Union's presidency (Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) to broker a compromise.

The decision on appointing a director - which requires unanimous support from member states - was originally scheduled for June last year. But as no agreement could be reached, it was decided in July to restart the selection procedure from scratch. The final decision on the appointment is scheduled for the 24 February meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers.

France is backing Gilles Leclair, an anti-terrorism co-ordinator in the national police force, rather than its original candidate Jacques Franquet. Dominique de Villepin, the interior minister, last year conceded that Franquet, head of the international co-operation service in the French police, was out of the running. One major factor against Franquet was that he would have reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 within two years of taking up the Europol post; Leclair is in his early fifties.

Germany had previously been pressing for the outgoing Europol director Jürgen Storbeck to be re-appointed for a four-year term. But it is now supporting Max-Peter Ratzel, a high-ranking officer in the federal crime-fighting agency, the Bundeskriminalamt.

According to a recent article in Der Spiegel magazine, Ratzel is given to making "politically incorrect" remarks. He has said, for example, that "ethnic subcultures" involved in crime have developed by exploiting weaknesses in Germany's asylum and immigration systems.

Two other candidates are competing for the job. Italian Emmanuele Marotta has the support of Silvio Berlusconi's government, while Spain is behind Mariano Simancas. The deputy director of Europol, Simancas has been the acting director since Storbeck's mandate expired on 1 July.

EU officials say the key to clinching a deal will be whether France and Germany can agree on a joint candidate. "For the time being, there is no front-runner," said one source. A French diplomat said that Paris believes that it should have its turn at taking the post as Germany has already secured it for one of its nationals.

EuroCop, the umbrella group for police staff unions, believes the wrangling over the post undermines the credibility of Europol. "The director of Europol should be chosen because of professional merits or qualifications and not because of nationality," said EuroCop spokesman Jan Velleman.

"It would not be possible at national level to have a director of a law enforcement agency chosen only because of party affiliation. The same should be true in Europe."

A probe into relations between law enforcement authorities in five EU states and Europol has pinpointed weaknesses in facilitating exchange of information on criminal investigations.

Assessments in Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Germany and Belgium found that most of these deem "too bureaucratic" the procedure for opening an 'analysis work file' - under which Europol conducts inquiries into certain crimes in conjunction with national police forces. All five states lamented the lack of an adequate information system for sharing information and intelligence between them and The Hague-based police office.

Anticipation of a decision on the appointment of a new Director for the European Police Office, Europol, to be taken at the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council, held in Brussels on 24 February 2005. There had been a long-standing issue between Germany and France who both claim the post for one of their nationals. The deputy director of Europol, Simancas, was the acting Director since the previous Director Storbeck's mandate expired on 1 July 2004.