Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BRUSSELS1948
2007-06-14 07:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USEU Brussels
Cable title:  

EU RECOGNIZES RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE

Tags:  CVIS PREL PREF SMIG KCRM SW EUN 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4792
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBS #1948/01 1650728
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140728Z JUN 07
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/DHS WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DOJ WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 001948 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS PREL PREF SMIG KCRM SW EUN
SUBJECT: EU RECOGNIZES RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE
THE LIVES OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN


SUMMARY
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 001948

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS PREL PREF SMIG KCRM SW EUN
SUBJECT: EU RECOGNIZES RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE
THE LIVES OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN


SUMMARY
--------------


1. EU Interior Ministers in the June 12 JHA
Council meeting in Luxembourg recognized their
shared "responsibility" to save the lives of
illegal migrants from Africa involved in tragic
events in the Mediterranean. Ministers
nevertheless offered little concrete help to
frontline state Malta to handle the problem
amid concerns that a Maltese request for
allocating the migrants among EU countries
could encourage rather than deter illegal
migration. Commission Vice-President Frattini
briefed the Council about the state of play
regarding visa reciprocity with the U.S. (and
Canada) and announced that, "in light of recent
developments in these two countries regarding
the visa waiver program," the presentation of
the Commission third visa reciprocity report
would be delayed until September 2007. The
Council recorded its agreement with the
European Parliament on a legislative package
establishing the visa database system for
visits to or transit through the Schengen area.
Full text of Council conclusions has been
transmitted to EUR/ERA. END SUMMARY.

ILLEGAL MIGRANTS AT THE EU's SOUTHERN BORDERS
--------------


2. The continuing drama of illegal migrants
from Africa desperate to reach the EU's
Southern shores dominated comments to the media
at the June 12 meeting of EU Interior ministers
(JHA Council). The issue was put on the agenda
per request of Malta, which has been calling on
its EU partners devise a system for migrants
whose boats founder in non-EU waters to be
distributed among member states. Maltese
Interior Minister Tonio Borg appealed to EU
countries for help: "The situation right now is
a complete mess," he said. "Each year 600
immigrants are dying ... on the threshold of
Europe."


3. "We cannot tolerate people dying," German
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble/Council
chair told a post-Council press conference.
Drawing from a joint Declaration of the German
Presidency and Commission Vice-President
Frattini that was "noted" by the Council,
Schauble said the human tragedies in the

Mediterranean were a European problem,
"requiring a comprehensive solution"
encompassing measures in the areas of
immigration, asylum and border management.
Schauble said that proposals "with a view to
sharing responsibilities" would be discussed by
EU officials next week. Claiming there was "no
controversial debate" at the Council's table,
he said ministers recognized "a principle of
solidarity and the need to take the problem of
a specific country (read: Malta) into
consideration."


4. Though Schauble claimed that his Maltese
colleague had been satisfied with the EU
response at the meeting, Minister Borg
apparently had problems to convince partners.
According to EU sources, delegations agreed on
the need to save people, but few were keen to
take responsibility for illegal migrants once
they are safely ashore. Some ministers,
including French Immigration Minister
Hortefeux, stressed the need to work closely
with the countries that people are fleeing or
crossing to reach Europe. They were concerned
that "burden sharing" might appear to
immigrants as a "free ticket" to move deeper
into the EU. Borg brushed off claims that
illegal migrants could be drawn into their
journeys by the possibility of a free flight to
Paris: "They first cross the desert," he said.
"If they survive that they try to cross the
Mediterranean, and if they survive that then
they are accepted or saved by the European
authorities."

BRUSSELS 00001948 002 OF 003




5. Frattini told the press conference Malta
would receive help patrolling its vast area of
maritime surveillance when the Agency for the
control of the EU's external borders (Frontex)
would launch its "Nautilus operation" on June
25, in which France, Greece, Germany and Italy
would also take part alongside Malta. Frattini
said he would pursue his efforts to involve
Libya but confessed he was "not so optimistic
about the possibility to get Libya on board by
the end of June."

SCHENGEN INFORMATION SYSTEM
--------------


6. Following talks in the "Mixed Committee"
with their Schengen counterparts from Norway,
Iceland and Switzerland, the EU ministers
adopted conclusions noting progress in
implementation of the "SISone4all" project
(extension of current SIS I to include new
member states: Czech republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
Slovenia, Slovakia). Minister Schauble told
reporters the project was proceeding according
to schedule and that "by the end of the year
conditions should be in place for the
enlargement of the Schengen area" (removal of
internal border checks with the new member
states, as envisaged between December 2007 and
March 2008).

VISA INFORMATION SYSTEM
--------------


7. The Council reached a political agreement
on the legislative package concerning the Visa
Information System (VIS),the database system
concerning visas for visits to or transit
through the Schengen area, thereby endorsing
texts negotiated with the European Parliament
for a VIS Regulation and a VIS Decision. The
adoption of these instruments by the EP and the
political agreement by member states are
necessary for further developing the system for
the exchange of visa information between member
states. More specifically:

-- The VIS Regulation will allow consulates
and other competent authorities to start
using the system when processing visa
applications and to check visas.

-- The VIS Decision will allow police and law
enforcement authorities to consult the
data under certain conditions that ensure
a high level of data protection.


8. The Visa Information System will store data
on up to 70 million people concerning visas for
visits to or transit through the Schengen Area,
including the applicant's photograph and
fingerprints. The Commission said high levels
of security were being built into the system
"to ensure it remains robust and available at
all times and that data is only accessed by
authorized persons for authorized purposes.
Once it is fully operational, the VIS will be
connected to all visa-issuing consulates of the
Schengen States and to all their external
border crossing points."


9. Commission Vice-President Frattini welcomed
the adoption of the new legal instruments,
saying: "This will make the EU a safer region.
On the one hand, the VIS will offer a new
practical tool both for consulates and border
checkpoints, which will be the main daily users
of the VIS, and for the police and law
enforcement communities of the Member States,
in order to prevent, fight and investigate
terrorist offences as well as other serious
crimes. On the other hand, bona fide travelers
will benefit from the VIS, in particular, as
regards the issuing of multiple-entry visas."
Frattini said he would visit the new member
states in the weeks and months to come in order

BRUSSELS 00001948 003 OF 003


to bring them "a positive message."

SITUATION OF IRAQI REFUGEES
--------------


10. Frattini also reported on steps undertaken
to gain "a precise and comprehensive picture of
national practices" concerning Iraqi asylum-
seekers in the EU. Further to its discussions
in April, the Council agreed that its bodies
should continue to monitor the refugee
situation in Iraq and its neighboring regions,
as well as the influx of Iraqi refugees to the
EU. Officials noted that, according to the
UNHCR, the situation in Iraq continues to
worsen, with more than 2 million Iraqis now
believed to be displaced inside Iraq and
another 2.2 million sheltering in neighboring
states.

VISA WAIVER RECIPROCITY
--------------


11. Frattini briefed the Council about the
state of play regarding visa reciprocity with
the U.S. and Canada. According to the Council
conclusions, Frattini announced that, "in the
light of recent developments in these two
countries regarding the visa waiver program,
the presentation of the Commission third visa
reciprocity report would be delayed until
September 2007." The conclusions note that the
U.S. "signaled a new initiative on the visa
waiver program in November 2006 involving the
possibility of new legislation" and that "the
situation in Canada is that the outcome of a
visa waiver criteria review being undertaken by
the
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is due
soon and will provide a basis for discussion
with the Commission and the member states
concerned in the near future." The Council
"agreed that the Presidency and the Commission
would continue to have contacts with Canada and
the United States on visa reciprocity."

GRAY