Stockholm Action Programme

[frontex.antira.info] Last December (2009), the European Union decided upon the Stockholm
Programme, its 5-year-plan for Justice and Home Affairs (check here and here).
The Programme itself is more of a framework and doesn’t conclusively
state what is exactly to come. For that, there is the Stockholm Action
Programme.

Statewatch released the Commission Proposal, along with an analysis and a briefing. For more information, see also here.

I started to extract all activities mentioned in the plan connected
to Frontex. But since Frontex is only a part of the European border and
migration regime, I extracted more relevant parts and highlighted what
I found relevant (there is an extra part titled “Effective policies to
combat illegal immigration”!). Here it is:

More effective European law enforcement cooperation (p32)

  • 2011: Proposal on information exchange between Europol, Eurojust and Frontex

Integrated management of the external borders (p44)

  • 2010: Proposal to amend the Frontex Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004
  • 2010: Second progress report on the European Border Surveillance System (Eurosur)
  • 2010: Frontex to consider, within its mandate, establishing regional and/or specialised offices
  • 2010-2011: Legislative proposal amending the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EC) No 562/2006)
  • 2011: Legislative proposal to set up Entry Exit System (EES)
  • 2011: Legislative proposal to set up Registered Traveller Programme (RTP)
  • 2011: European Asylum Support Office (EASO) to develop methods to better identify those who are in EASO need of international protection in mixed flows, and to cooperate with Frontex wherever possible
  • 2011: Legislative proposals on Eurosur development
  • 2011/2013: Development and entry into operation of the Schengen Information System II (SIS II)
  • 2012: Start of operations of the Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice
  • 2012: Communication on the better cooperation, coordination,
    integration and rationalisation of the different checks carried out at
    the external borders with a view to twin the objective of facilitating
    access and improving security
  • 2014: Communication on the long term development of FRONTEX including the feasibility of the creation of a European system of border guards
  • ongoing: Use of the CRMS (Community Risk Management System) in
    order to exchange risk information between customs offices at the
    border and further development of the common risk assessment, criteria
    and standards for management, security and safety at the external
    borders
  • ongoing: Strengthened cooperation of ports, airports and land
    borders on all matters of relevance for the management of the external
    border

Visa policy (p46)

  • 2010: Finalisation of visa dialogues with Western Balkans
  • 2010/ongoing: Handbook on the practical application of the Visa
    Code and regular updates Negotiation, signature and conclusion of Visa
    Facilitation Agreements with third countries
  • Dec 2010: Development and entry into operation of the Visa Information System (VIS) and gradual roll out of the VIS
  • 2011: Communication on Regional consular cooperation programmes and on the setting up of common visa application centres
  • 2011: Communication on the possibility of introducing an EU-ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization)
  • 2013: Communication on the evaluation of the implementation of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009)
  • 2014: Communication on a new concept of the European visa policy
    and assessing the possibility of establishing a common European issuing
    mechanism for short term visas
  • 2014: Evaluation of the VIS
  • ongoing: Follow up of Visa Reciprocity (negotiation and conclusion of visa waiver agreements, regular visa reciprocity reports)
  • ongoing: Regular reviews of the list of third countries whose
    nationals must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external
    borders and propose periodically revisions of Regulation (EC) No
    539/2001
  • ongoing: Regular meetings of the Joint Committees monitoring the
    implementation of visa facilitation and readmission agreements with
    third countries

Asylum (p48)

  • 2011: Communication on increased coherence between immigration
    Policy and other relevant EU policies, in particular on how to
    strengthen the link between the development of migration policy and the
    Europe 2020 strategy
    ongoing: Annual Reports on Immigration and Asylum (implementation of
    the European Pact and as from 2011 on the Stockholm Programme)

Statistics (p48)

  • 2010-2011: Measures aiming at: (a) the adoption by the European
    Statistical System Committee of a conceptual framework and work Member
    States programme for the development of statistics on migration and for
    the mainstreaming of migration topics across social and economic
    statistics; (b) the Development of additional disaggregation to be
    applied to statistics on asylum, on residence permits issued to
    third-country nationals and on enforcement of immigration legislation,
    possibly including a proposal for a Commission Regulation implementing
    Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007
  • 2012: Report on the application of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on
    Community statistics on migration and international protection and
    repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 311/76 on the compilation of
    statistics on foreign workers

A dynamic and comprehensive migration policy (p49)

Consolidating, developing and implementing the EU Global Approach to Migration (p49)

  • 2011: Communication on the evaluation and future development of the Global Approach to Migration
  • ongoing: Pursuing EU political dialogue missions on migration as a
    way to engage dialogue on this issue with third countries falling under
    the Global Approach
  • ongoing: Launching of migration profile processes (including
    capacity building and the use of the migration profile as a tool for
    policy definition, cooperation programming, evaluation) with key
    countries
  • ongoing: Further development of mobility partnerships supported by appropriate financial means
  • ongoing: Further establishment of cooperation platforms facilitating the coordination among relevant actors
  • ongoing: Enhancing migration dialogue within the Eastern Partnership
  • ongoing: Pursuing and improving the implementation of the EU/Africa
    Partnership on migration, mobility and employment, supported by
    appropriate financial means, and the preparation of a EU-Africa Senior
    Official Meeting on this partnership during the second semester 2010
  • 2010-2011: Concretising the follow-up of the Rabat/Paris Process
    through the implementation of the Cooperation programme and the
    preparation of the Dakar Conference in 2011 supported by appropriate
    financial means).
  • ongoing: Developing the EU/LAC dialogue on migration
  • ongoing: Enhancing cooperation with India, Afghanistan and Pakistan
    on migration issues, as well as with Central Asia, on a regional basis.

Migration and development (p50)

  • 2011: Communication on the effects of climate change on
    international migration, including its potential effects on immigration
    to the European Union
  • 2010: Communication on maximising the positive and minimising the
    negative aspects of immigration on Development (circular migration,
    remittances including the feasibility of creating a common EU portal on
    remittances; development of Diaspora networks and promoting the
    participation of migrant communities to development projects in the
    countries of origin, Migrants’ rights, Brain drain)
  • ongoing: Support the establishment of a migration observatory network in ACP countries
  • Supporting third countries in defining and implementing their
    migration policy through our cooperation in particular within
    sub-Saharan Africa, namely through the opening of new migration Centre
    in key African countries

A concerted policy in keeping with national labour-market requirements (p51)

  • 2010: Proposal for a Directive on conditions of admission of third
    country nationals in the framework of an intra-corporate transfer
  • 2010: Proposal for a Directive on the conditions of entry and
    residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of seasonal
    employment
  • 2010,2011: Report on the application of Directive 2004/114/EC on
    the conditions of admission of third-country nationals for the purposes
    of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary
    service, followed by a proposal for a modification of the Directive
  • 2011: Report on the Directive 2003/109/EC concerning the status of
    third-country nationals who are longterm residents and possible
    follow-up
  • 2011: Report on Directive 2005/71/EC on a specific procedure for
    admitting third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific
    research and possible follow-up
  • 2012: Communication on addressing labour shortages through migration in EU Member States
  • 2014: Report on the application of Directive 2009/50/EC on the
    conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the
    purposes of highly qualified employment
  • ongoing: Further development of the European Migration Network with
    a view to better informing policy choices, which also takes account of
    recent developments

Proactive policies for migrants and their rights (p52)

  • 2010: Green Paper on the right to family reunification
  • 2012: Proposal for a modification of Directive 2003/86/EC on the right to family reunification
  • 2013: Immigration code – Consolidation of legislation in the area
    of legal immigration taking into account the evaluation of the existing
    legislation, needs for simplification and where necessary extend the
    existing provisions to categories of workers currently not covered by
    EU legislation

Integration (p53)

  • 2010: Launch of the third edition of the ‘Handbook on Integration for policy-makers and practitioners’
  • 2010: Report to the 2010 Ministerial Conference on Integration
  • 2011: Communication on an EU agenda for integration, including the development of a coordination mechanism

Effective policies to combat illegal immigration (p53)

  • 2010: Communication on the evaluation of readmission agreements
    and on the development of a coherent strategy on readmission taking
    into account the overall relations with the country concerned,
    including a common approach towards third countries that do not
    cooperate in readmitting their own nationals
  • 2011: Communication on the evaluation on the common policy on return
    and on its future development (including support measures for return
    and reintegration of persons readmitted, capacity building in third
    countries; disseminating information in destination countries regarding
    returning and reintegration opportunities, network of liaison officers
    in countries of origin and transit)
  • 2012: Legislative proposal amending Directive 2002/90/EC defining the facilitation of unauthorised entry,
    transit and residence (and possibly merge with Framework Decision
    2002/946/JHA on the strengthening of the penal framework to prevent the
    facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence; and
    extending existing provisions)
  • 2014: Report on Directive 2009/52/EC providing for minimum
    standards on sanctions and measures against employers of illegally
    staying third-country nationals
  • 2014: Report on the implementation of the return Directive 2008/115/EC
  • ongoing: Further efforts on negotiating and concluding readmission agreements with Turkey, Morocco; Algeria; Egypt; Libya, China, Afghanistan, Iraq and Bangladesh and exploration of the possibilities of concluding readmission agreements with other third countries

Unaccompanied minors (p54)

  • 2010: Communication on an Action plan on unaccompanied minors in the migration process

Asylum: a common area of protection and solidarity (p55)

A common area of protection (p55)

  • 2012: Communication on Eurodac development, namely on the feasibility on its development into a supporting tool for the entire Common European Asylum System (CEAS)
  • 2014: Communication on the appropriateness, the possibilities and
    the difficulties as well as the legal and practical implications of
    joint processing of asylum applications within the Union
  • 2013: Report of the Commission on the legal and practical
    consequences of the EU’s accession to the Geneva Convention and its
    1967 Protocol
  • 2013: First evaluation report on the EASO’s impact on practical cooperation and on the Common European Asylum System
  • 2014: Commission’s communication on a framework for the transfer of
    protection of beneficiaries of international protection and mutual
    recognition of asylum decisions
    Development of a common methodology with a view to reducing disparities of asylum decisions

Sharing of responsibilities and solidarity between the Member States (p56)

  • 2011: Establishing a mechanism to review the Member States’
    national asylum systems and identify the issues related to capacities
    which will enable Member States to support each other in building
    capacity
  • 2011: Communication on enhanced intra-EU solidarity
  • 2011: Evaluation and development of procedures for facilitation of
    the secondment of officials in order to help those Member States facing
    particular pressures of asylum seekers

The external dimension of asylum (p56)

  • 2011: Establish strategic partnership with UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
  • 2012: Mid-term evaluation of the EU Resettlement Programme
  • 2013: Communication on new approaches concerning access to asylum procedures targeting main transit countries
  • 2014: Proposal on how to improve the EU Resettlement Programme
  • ongoing: Annual Reports on EU resettlement efforts
  • ongoing: Launching and developing new Regional Protection Programmes, including in the horn of Africa

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