EU leaders approved a number of anti-terrorist measures in response to the attacks in the US on September 11th, including a common definition of terrorist offences and a European arrest warrant. And they moved closer to creating a common policy on asylum and immigration and an EU-wide border guard.
Agreement on the arrest warrant, which will make extradition for some offences automatic within the EU, came when Italy dropped its objections last week.
Although the events of September 11th spurred the EU to move more swiftly than usual to introduce new measures, the leaders made clear in Laeken that they will be devoting increasing attention to the entire area of justice and home affairs. To this end, they agreed that EU justice ministers should meet more often than at present.
Reporting to the meeting on the deaths of eight stowaways in Wexford, the Taoiseach said the tragedy underlined the need for a more coherent EU policy on asylum. In their concluding statement, the leaders went further, linking the issue of asylum with immigration policy.
"The European Council undertakes to adopt as soon as possible, a common policy on asylum and immigration, which will maintain the necessary balance between protection of refugees, in accordance with the principles of the 1951 Geneva Convention, the legitimate aspiration to a better life and the reception capacities of the union and its member-states," the statement said.
The leaders agreed that a common policy meant the integration of the policy on migratory flows into the EU's foreign policy; the development of a European system for exchanging information on asylum, migration and countries of origin; the establishment of common standards on procedures for asylum, reception and family reunification, including accelerated procedures where justified; and the establishment of programmes to combat discrimination and racism.
The EU will look at ways to improve co-operation between border services that could lead to a common border guard.
"The European Council asks the Council and the Commission to work out arrangements for co-operation between services responsible for external border control and to examine the conditions in which a mechanism or common services to control external borders could be created," the leaders said.
