Ministers Kari Rajamäki and Wolfgang Schäuble: European Union must strengthen everyday security
"Citizens expect the European Union to strengthen everyday security and improve its ability to respond to new challenges posed by the operating environment and the enlarged Union," state Finnish Minister of the Interior Kari Rajamäki and German Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble in their joint article published in a Väli-Suomen mediat today.
The successive Presidencies, Finland and Germany, have cooperated closely to ensure progress in the key EU projects of internal security. Cooperation within the European Union is necessary as internal security threats do not respect the borders of the Member States.
The free movement of EU citizens is a fundamental principle of the EU. Therefore, efforts are being made to extend as soon as possible the Schengen area following the agreed rules and without compromising the security of our citizens.
According to Mr Rajamäki and Mr Schäuble, law enforcement authorities must strengthen their cooperation both at national and EU level. More effective practical cooperation with the key partner countries of the EU is also increasingly important when combating internal security threats.
The Treaty of Prüm is an important step to implement exchange of information and the principle of availability, particularly as regards DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data. During the German Presidency, discussion on the introduction of the Treaty of Prüm into EU legislation will be started within the EU.
"The European Union must intensify its efforts to combat illegal migration. At the European Council meeting on 14 and 15 December, the Heads of State and Government decided on concrete measures the implementation of which will be among the priorities of the German Presidency. The new, significantly more extensive EU financing programmes in the fields of justice and home affairs provide good opportunities for this, and we will also want to take advantage of them," the ministers state.
The full text of the joint article by Mr Rajamäki and Mr Schäuble can be found in http://www.intermin.fi/english/sicherheit
For further information, please contact Kari Salmi, State Secretary, tel. +358 160 42802, +358 40 733 7085, or Antti Pelttari, Director-General, tel. +358 160 42290, +358 50 357 7194.