UK Presidency of the EU 2005

Justice and Home Affairs - Presidency Priorities

A 5 year Justice and Home Affairs work plan for 2005-2010 was agreed last year. The UK will take this forward during her Presidency of the EU.

The UK’s main priorities are divided into four areas:

 serious and organised crime;  access to justice;  asylum and immigration; and  counter-terrorism.

Some more details about these priorities are given below.

Serious and organised crime

 intelligence-led police operations;  better exchange, analysis and use of information for law enforcement;  developing the European Police College (CEPOL);  improving the collection and use of evidence in cross-border cases;  continued improvements in the system recognising judgements made by other Member States

Access to justice

 providing greater access to justice for citizens;  promoting more effective access to alternative methods of resolving civil disputes;  improved rules for deciding which country’s law should apply in cross-border cases; and  enhancing co-operation between judiciaries to support European citizens working, studying, buying and selling and doing business abroad.

Asylum and immigration

 taking forward work to strengthen the EU’s borders;  improved co-operation on combating people trafficking;  improving the security of EU travel documents;  enhancing co-operation between Member States’ asylum authorities;  establishing the Visa Information System, a system for exchanging visa data; and  working together with countries of origin and transit countries to help improve their systems of migration management and refugee protection.

Counter-terrorism

 rules on retaining telecommunications data and exchanging information;  a strategy to tackle recruitment to terrorism;  evaluation of Member States’ counter-terrorism arrangements leading to shared best practise and recommendations;  agreement of a programme to protect critical infrastructure; and  introduction of an EU-wide strategy to tackle terrorist financing.

JHA Councils and Informals

This is where the ministers responsible for JHA areas from all Member States meet to discuss common issues in terms of crime and terrorism, immigration and asylum and the protection of human rights. Key Dates: JHA Councils and Informals

Justice and Home Affairs Council: 12 - 13 October 2005, Luxembourg Justice and Home Affairs Council: 1 - 2 December 2005, Brussels

Justice and Home Affairs Informal: 8 - 9 September 2005, Newcastle Gateshead

More information on UK Government websites:

Home Office Department for Constitutional Affairs