Minister Kari Rajamäki at the meeting of the 'Friends of Lapland' in Saariselkä

The meeting was attended by Commission Vice-President Franco Frattini, Slovenian Minister of the Interior Dragotin Mate, representatives of the German Ministry of the Interior and Director of Europol Max-Peter Ratzel.

The abolition of internal border controls can - as laid out by the JHA Council on 5 December 2006 - take place at land and sea borders as of December 2007 and at airports as of March 2008. The pace will depend on how well the Member States are able to apply the Schengen acquis as a whole and how well they can meet all of the requirements set for the removal of controls.

"It is important that SIS II will not be forgotten although the SIS one for all project will inevitably delay its original timetable. It is essential that we make use of the new SIS II functionalities as soon as possible. In 2007, further evaluations will be conducted in a total of 16 targets on the basis of the results of the evaluations in 2006. I believe that the new Member States are prepared to invest considerably in their Schengen capacities so that we will be able to make a final decision on the abolition of internal border controls at the Council. This year we expect the Commission to submit a proposal on the development of the Schengen evaluation system. These evaluations have turned out to be extremely important in building up trust between Member States, and the importance of the Schengen evaluations will still increase as the Schengen area expands," Minister Rajamäki pointed out.

"The December European Council confirmed that the European Union needs a comprehensive migration policy and that this policy must be based on mutual trust and respect for fundamental freedoms for people. The Council invited the Commission to provide its proposals regarding the intensification of measures against illegal employment by April. Furthermore, in accordance with Finland's initiative, the Commission was asked to study the possibilities of developing policies for extended European solidarity in immigration, border control and asylum policies.

"It was very important that we managed, during Finland's Presidency, to bring up the points that have been problematic with regard to EU border management. There was an open discussion on these issues last March at the first meeting of the Friends of Lapland. TheCommission deserves full recognition for its realistic communication - based in part on the discussion held in March - on illegal immigration, illegal employment and shortcomings of return procedures in the EU Member States," said Mr Rajamäki.

"During Finland's EU Presidency, the meetings of the JHA Council called a spade a spade. At the September Council, Finland presented its initiative on extended solidarity. Finland's initiative - together with the Commission communication - contributed to the transformation of simple demands for support into discussion about opportunities for collective action," Mr Rajamäki emphasised.

"Last year we were able to build up cooperation with Africa - without developing close cooperation with countries of origin and transit we will not be able to develop a comprehensive migration policy. We have to foster this cooperation without forgetting difficult issues such as readmission between the EU and Africa. It is also equally important that in accordance with the European Council conclusions we pay much more attention to eastern and south eastern regions. Finland strongly supports this. The EU must have a policy and ability to react to all directions in immigration issues," Mr Rajamäki said.

Mr Rajamäki went on to say that it was important for the further processing of the mid-term review of the Hague Programme and the initiatives started during Finland's Presidency to raise the political level of preparation that takes place within the Council. According to Mr Rajamäki, all available competence that brings added value to EU's common security should be employed in the preparation process.

"The EU as a whole would benefit if Finland's competence related to border management and border control was employed in the further stages of the preparation of the Union's external borders and the new border management strategy. Finland's competence would support improving the EU's external border management and the effectiveness of the extended solidarity initiative.

Finland is prepared to provide a positive contribution to the critical work of Germany and subsequent Presidencies - together with the Commission - towards the strengthening of the Union's internal security," Mr Rajamäki said.

"The European Council stated in December that the border management strategy adopted during the Finnish Presidency would serve as the basis of the development of an integrated management system for external borders. We must make great efforts to improve particularly border management in the Schengen area and to develop border control in the Mediterranean region. These issues were also discussed at our meeting in March," Mr Rajamäki stated.

"The EU's integrated border management strategy must continue to be based on the principle of national responsibility. Member States must be responsible for the necessary infrastructure, equipment and personnel. When talking about a European coastguard, we must ensure that border management in the Schengen area will be its main priority - without forgetting other control and security tasks. Those who took part in the meeting were given a presentation at the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District on Sunday about Finnish border control and cooperation between the public authorities.

For further information, please contact Antti Pelttari, Director-General, tel. +3589 160 42290or Jukka Savolainen, Director of International Affairs tel. +358 020 410 6654