Stockholm programma openbaar gemaakt (en)
Today the Swedish Presidency of the EU will present its first draft of the Stockholm Programme, which is to specify the frameworks for EU police and customs cooperation, rescue services cooperation, criminal and civil law cooperation, and asylum, migration and visa policy for the period 2010-2014.
"Our vision is that the Stockholm Programme will lead to a more secure and open Europe where the rights of individuals are safeguarded. Based on a citizen's perspective, effective measures against cross-border crime are important. But our efforts for increased security must not come at the expense of the individual's legal rights, integrity and the right to privacy," says Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask.
"In the Programme we want to highlight that well-managed migration can be positive for all actors, the Member States and the EU as a whole, as well as for the country of origin and the individual migrant. This should be an integral part of the further development of a common immigration policy. We also want to establish a common European asylum system that focuses on efficiency, the rule of law and predictability," says Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Tobias Billström.
Based on the discussions with the other Member States that have been held so far, the Presidency is today presenting its first draft of a Stockholm Programme. In its proposal, the Presidency has tried to strike a balance between measures to ensure our common security and measures that ensure the rule of law and the rights of the individual. Examples of the first kind of measure are more efficient police cooperation by making better use of Europol and a more carefully prepared plan for the future exchange of information. Examples of the second kind of measure are the EU's rapid accession to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, giving the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights a role during the legislative process, gradually strengthening the rights of defendants in criminal cases, increasing emphasis on the rights of victims of crime, and improving data protection regarding information on individuals.
In its Programme, the Swedish Presidency also wants to make clear that cooperation with countries of origin and transit in migration cases should be strengthened. This involves opening more legal channels for labour immigration to the EU, but also jointly attempting to deal with illegal immigration by such means as knowledge and capacity building. In these efforts, it is important to ensure the individual's access to the asylum process. EU work towards a common asylum system that is open and legally secure should continue.
The Stockholm Programme will be presented to ministers of justice and home affairs on 30 November-1 December, and to foreign ministers on 6-7 December, prior to adoption by the European Council on 10-11 December.