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The Stockholm Programme on the table
The specific concern of the EuroCOP delegation was the so called "Stockholm
Programme", which will replace the Hague Programme and set the priorities for the area of Justice and Home Affairs in the EU for the next five
years. It will define the framework for the EU police and customs
cooperation, rescue services, criminal and civil law cooperation,
asylum, migration and visa policy for the period 2010-2014.
It will be discussed at an informal ministerial meeting in July 2009 and adopted in December 2009.
EuroCOP Resolution presented
The EuroCOP Delegation also presented its own resolution on the post Hague Programme entitled
"For a strong police in a secure Europe". This resolution was passed by the EuroCOP Committee during its last meeting, which took place in Lisbon in March 2009.
It has been formally past on to the Directorate-General for
Justice, Freedom and Security of the European Commission.
The EuroCOP resolution stresses the need for member states of the
EU to share the basic standards in policing, enabling its citizens
to trust that they will meet the same standards of professionalism
and integrity wherever in the union they happen to be.
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The EuroCOP Committee in Lisbon passed the resolution on the Stockholm Programme in March. |
So called 'one stop shop' solutions for crossed border information
exchange should be developed according to the draft paper. This
means fast and easy to use access point for cross border queries.
EuroCOP also urges the EU to establish common minimum standards
for policing in the European Union in the form of a comprehensive
EU Code of Police Ethics.
These points were transmitted to the Minister during the meeting in Stockholm as well as a quest for an EU Stability Pact for the Police. Here EuroCOP asks for recollection of the so called Copenhagen criteria, which were set in 1993.
Financial crisis in focus
The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European Union. These requirements include a democratic governance and preservation of human rights and rule of law, a functioning market economy and the willingness to accept obligations and intents of the EU.
The EuroCOP Delegation brought this criteria forward to the Swedish Justice of Minister, to remind her of the standards as far as the rule of law and efficient administration is concerned which were set in the Copenhagen document.
"We cannot allow that member states of the EU whose prosecution authorities were already underfunded before the financial crisis now through short-sighted cost-cutting measures sets them back even further," EuroCOP President Heinz Kiefer said.
The EuroCOP delegation consisted of EuroCOP President Heinz Kiefer as well as EuroCOP Executive Committee Member Lillemor Sving Melin, EuroCOP Head of Office Jan Velleman and Swedish Police Union President Jan Karlsen.
Find out more:
EuroCOP's Contribution to the Hague Programme:
EuroCOP Resolution 10-03-2009: For a strong police in a Secure Europe - EuroCOP Contribution to the Priorities of the EU within the area of Justice and Home Affairs after 2009
EuroCOP's Contribution on European Commission Justice and Home Affairs' Site:
"Freedom, Security and
Justice: What will be the future?", consultation on priorities for the next five years (2010-2014)
Official page of the Swedish EU Presidency
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