Sopot, 18 October 2007
Realizing the principles of Freedom and Justice is not possible without ensuring
security to the citizens of the European Union.
Security, both internal and external, constitutes one of the fundamental rights within
the European Union, the implementation of which lies within the responsibility of
every public authority, every government.
Therefore, aware of their responsibility and their duties, Ministers of Interior of
France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, having convened
today in the G6 group, and having taken note of the progress achieved within the
working groups after the meeting in Venice, hereby conclude and declare as follows:1. The European Union Reform Treaty will bring changes to the decisionmaking
process in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice and new coordination
structures will be established.
The G6 Ministers will undertake all possible measures in order to ensure that
changes concerning the area of Freedom, Security and Justice are
implemented in a way ensuring effective and practical cooperation within the
EU in that field. In particular, the G6 Ministers will actively participate in the
works aimed at achieving the desired shape and scope of tasks of the internal
security committee. In this context G6 welcomes and supports the work of the
Future Group developing the recommendations concerning a coherent EU
policy in the area of home affairs in the future.
2. Transposition of the Prüm Treaty provisions into the EU law should enable
Member States to work together more effectively in the field of police
cooperation and information exchange.
The G6 Ministers will undertake intense efforts in order to launch an EUwide
debate to establish an effective cooperation with the European Parliament in
that area by improving the social communication and media image of the
undertaken legislative initiatives.
3. The G6 is united in condemning in the strongest terms all acts of terrorism and
reaffirms its determination to tackle terrorism, while expressing its support
and solidarity to the victims of terrorism and promoting freedom, democracy
and human rights.
The G6 Ministers will continue their commitment to working together, both at
G6 and EU level, in a coordinated way in line with the principle of European
solidarity, to strengthen States’ ability to combat terrorism whilst fully
complying with their obligations under human rights instruments.
The G6 Ministers have noted that in some legally regulated cases expulsion
has proved an effective tool to protect people from nonnationals
who pose a threat to national security.
At the same time, the G6 has recognised the difficulties faced by States in
seeking to implement an effective expulsion policy: the need to protect
national security, whilst also protecting the human rights of those who pose a
threat.
The G6 believes that the mechanism of seeking assurances, on a governmenttogovernment
basis, designed to secure this protection, could provide an
effective way forward in some cases.
The G6 Ministers also look forward to the EU commitment to promote, in
countries to which terrorist suspects are expelled, standards which are
compliant with the international obligations, as to the safeguard of human
rights in the framework of the EU relations with the relevant Third Countries.
The G6 Governments will initiate and support continued exploration of the
expulsion of terrorists and terrorist suspects, seeking assurances through
diplomatic understandings, and other policies. In relation to the EU, the
Governments will seek to build consensus on these issues through open
discussion based on wider consideration of legal frameworks and policies.
In that regard the G6 Ministers welcome the recent proposals announced by
the European Commission on combating terrorism and express their wish for a
still stronger commitment in preventing and responding to the terrorist threat.
4. Threats of terrorist attacks and acts of violence have lately made mass events
organised in the EU Member States a significant challenge regarding the
security of their participants.
The G6 Ministers will support initiatives challenging such occurrences in a
responsible manner through developing and improving the existing
instruments and mechanisms as well also through creating new ones within the
EU framework and, where appropriate, together with third states. They
underline and firmly support the current EU initiatives on enhancing the
security of explosives, precursors and detonators as an efficient tool to prevent
and combat terrorist attacks.
The Governments will continue the discussion on these issues on the EU level
so as to establish a framework for effective cooperation between competent
services that are responsible for providing security and public order in the
Member States.
5. The external EU actions have crucial influence on the building of the Area of
Justice, Freedom and Security. The EU aims at creating a safe external
environment and strengthening the EU external policy objectives by means of
promoting the rule of law, democratic values and institutional development.
The G6 Ministers will continue to firmly support the development of the
external dimension of the area of Freedom, Security and Justice of the
European Union.
Operational dialogue with Third Countries constitutes a vital part of the
external EU actions in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. It should
therefore be fostered in all policy areas thereof, that including, notably, fight
against drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
Thus, the Ministers voice their content with the MAOC – Méditerranée centre
initiative.
The G6 Ministers will also carry on intense actions in this scope in order to
see to an appropriate and satisfactory setting up and implementation of
migration management instruments, that including readmission agreements.
The Ministers will not cease to undertake their efforts aimed at supporting the
processes in Third Countries in order to promote the rule of law, democratic
values and institutional development, the success of which is highly important
for the EU policy in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
The G6 Ministers welcome the discussion launched on the Green Paper on
Asylum; they, however underline in this context that the evaluation of the
legal acts in the first harmonisation phase constitutes an essential basis for
further reflections within the EU regarding the development of the Common
European Asylum System.
