JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS : ASYLUM, IMMIGRATION, JUSTICE: WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2009?

As the current European Commission reaches the end of its mandate, there are still issues in the justice, freedom and security domain, particularly with regard to asylum, that need to be addressed. Europolitics Social brings its readers a sneak preview of these projects based on the timetable announced by the EU executive.

Following the Commission's proposal in May, the EU, in the second half of 2009 and therefore under Swedish Presidency, will adopt its new so-called Stockholm' working programme on asylum and immigration for 2010-2014 to succeed the Tampere (1999-2004) and The Hague (2004-2009) programmes.

In preparation for this, the European support bureau' on asylum will be created, in February, to provide assistance to national governments by means of training, expertise, exchange of information and translation. It is largely intended to help countries such as Malta and Cyprus, which are overrun with arrivals in mass of illegal immigrants from Africa.

In general terms, Commissioner Jacques Barrot in charge of justice, liberty and security will be trying to implement the European pact on immigration and asylum', a political text which the previous French EU Presidency wanted so badly that it even cut it so that it could be unanimously adopted by all member states, on 16 October 2008. Most of the ideas were taken...