| Author (Person) | King, Tim |
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| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.11, No.18, 12.5.05 |
| Publication Date | 12/05/2005 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Tim King Date: 12/05/05 The creation of an agency to police the EU's external borders is still bogged down in difficulties just two weeks away from the agency's launch. The appointment of an executive director, the involvement of Norway and Iceland and a legal challenge by the UK constitute three sizeable problems. The first meeting of the agency's board is scheduled for 25 May in Warsaw where the agency for the management of operational co-operation at the external borders of the EU is to make its home. Its main task is to co-ordinate border control activities across the member states. On the agenda will be the election of a president of the management board, made up of representatives from the participating states, and the appointment of an executive director, who will be chosen from a shortlist drawn up by the Commission. The Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Franco Frattini, is to interview the candidates in the coming days before putting the names to Wednesday's (18 May) meeting of the Commission. The Finns have proposed Colonel Ilkka Laitinen of the Finnish Frontier Guard. The Spaniards are nominating Gilles Arias Fernandez, a chief inspector in the national police corps specialising in frontier matters. The Italians reputedly have two candidates. The official candidate is Rodolfo Ronconi, who has worked on international co-operation. Sources say that Germany feels obliged to back the Italian candidate in return for Rome's support for its candidate to head Europol. Next Wednesday, the Commission and Norway and Iceland will attempt to agree on the voting rights of the two countries on the board. Norway and Iceland are signatories to the Schengen accord on border-free movement although they are not members of the EU. Because they are not part of the Schengen area, the UK and Ireland will not have full voting rights in the agency. The UK has launched a legal challenge at the European Court of Justice, arguing that the agency should not be founded as an instrument of Schengen. Until the case is heard, the UK has been given a seat on the board without voting rights. Preview of the inaugural meeting of the board of the European Union's new Agency for the Management of External Borders in Warsaw, 25 May 2005. Article reports on outstanding problems such as the appointment of an executive director, the involvement of Norway and Iceland and a legal challenge by the UK. The agency's main task is to co-ordinate border control activities across the Member States of the European Union. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
