(2004/C 65 E/083)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1267/03

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 April 2003)

Subject:   Odysseus Community Programme

According to the report in the authoritative briefing sheet Agence Europe' (12 March 2003), the first phase of the Odysseus programme for controlling illegal immigration failed because of the lack of a common working language and technical compatibility problems which complicated the work which ought to have been carried out jointly by the five Spanish, Italian, French, British and Portuguese ships, as reported in a document sent by the Spanish authorities to the Greek Presidency of the EU.

The report also states that not a single illegal immigrant has been detected throughout the programme's period of application.

Meanwhile, according to the same report, Commissioner Vitorino has suggested that the Mediterranean should be divided into three illegal immigration monitoring areas, which will be controlled, respectively, by Italy, Greece and Spain.

What makes the Commission more optimistic about the success of the Community initiatives for the prevention of illegal immigration, after the failure referred to above? What special steps will be taken in the sensitive region of the Aegean, which is an entry-point for thousands of illegal immigrants coming into Greece and the other countries of the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2003)

It is not the Commission's custom to react to press articles.

However, the Commission would point out that Operation Ulysses, conducted under the responsibility of the Spanish authorities, is a joint operation on the EU's external borders as provided for in the plan for the management of the external borders adopted by the Council (Justice and Home Affairs) on 13 June 2002. The Seville European Council (21/22 June 2002) regarded such joint operations as a priority.

The relevant body in the Council (SCIFA+ Working Party) approved, among other things, the Ulysses project referred to by the Honourable Member, a joint operation carried out by Spain with the participation of France, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom, and the involvement as observers of other Member States (such as Greece and the Netherlands) and candidate countries (such as Poland and Latvia). According to the description of the operation provided by Spain, its aim was the joint surveillance by the ship patrols of several Member States of the external borders of the Schengen area with a view to deterring illegal immigration.

One of the aims of the pilot projects and joint operations is to identify the legal and operational problems encountered by the Member States in conducting such operations. Problems with language or the compatibility of equipment are real difficulties which must be solved by way of joint training and the interoperability of equipment. These difficulties were highlighted in the Commission's Communication on integrated management of the external borders (1).

As for the solutions envisaged by the Commission, the Thessaloniki European Council (20/21 June 2003) will be an opportunity to establish whether the decisions taken at the Seville European Council in June 2002 have been correctly applied. More generally, it will also be then that the results of the first year of application of the plan for the management of the external borders will be assessed.

The Greek Presidency is preparing a report for the European Council covering, among other things, the conclusions to be drawn from the joint operations and pilot projects carried out during this period. The Commission will contribute to this report by proposing a rationalisation of the initiatives planned.

As regards the reference made by the Honourable Member to a proposal by the Member of the Commission responsible for Justice and Home Affairs that cooperation in the Mediterranean be divided into three areas, the Commission must inform the Honourable Member that this suggestion was made by the consultant commissioned by the Commission, at the Council's request, to carry out a feasibility study with a view to improving monitoring and surveillance of the European Union's maritime borders. The Member of the Commission responsible reported to the Council (Justice and Home Affairs) on 27/28 February 2003 on the consultant's progress. The final report on the feasibility study will be available in June 2003.

Depending on the conclusions drawn from the various initiatives and from the above-mentioned feasibility study, the Commission or the Member States, in accordance with their respective powers, will decide whether to propose legislative and/or operational initiatives in order to meet the objectives of the above-mentioned action plan.

(1)  COM(2002) 703 final.