Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-17-Speech-5-032"
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"en.20001117.3.5-032"2
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the creation of the European Police College is, in the Commission’s opinion, a dossier of major importance for the European Union, both in terms of cooperation in the field of Justice and Home Affairs and with the prospect of enlargement of the Union. From the first discussions on this dossier, which were held at European level at the initiative of the European Parliament, the Commission has given a commitment to the Member States to pursue a course of action designed to develop what we might call a European police culture, grounded in the highest standards of duty, respect for the rights and freedoms of our citizens and efficiency in the fight against crime.
The Commission welcomes the rapid progress made both by the Portuguese Presidency, which launched this initiative, and by the French Presidency, which intends to adopt it by the end of the year. I therefore feel that the efforts made by us all will have made it possible to effectively create the European Police College just one year after the decision taken by the Tampere European Council. I should also like to congratulate and thank the European Parliament’s Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, and particularly its rapporteur, Mr Posselt, not only for his personal commitment but also for the excellent study that he has produced and for the way in which he has pushed for the creation of the European Police College.
With regard to the future of the College, the Commission is – as I am sure you will be aware – of the opinion that Conclusion No 47 of the Tampere European Council laid down, extremely clearly, that the network-style functioning of the College, which is already causing it also to be called a ‘virtual’ Academy, will be only the first stage. Like the European Parliament, the Commission feels that it would be desirable for a formula to be adopted within a practical and clearly defined timescale, ensuring greater continuity of training action or even its development beyond the senior police officers.
I also wish to make it clear, however, that what we are talking about here is not the creation of a European police force. We are talking about the need to exchange experience and information, to exchange best practices in crime fighting in order to make respect for citizens’ rights and the fight against transnational crime more effective. Above all, I wish to emphasise that, as someone who has always advocated the idea of community policing, which is the method employed in the United Kingdom, I would welcome the fact that this British idea is finding ever more support in a range of countries in so-called “continental Europe”. Whoever believes that the solutions that they advocate are good should not have anything to fear from exposure to other people’s solutions.
The Commission feels that the transition from a virtual police academy or police staff college to a police academy as an institution is not only justified from the point of view of the operational ability of the current Member States’ police forces. It is also justified from the point of view of being able, as early as possible, to systematically include the police forces of the candidate countries in a training strategy. I consider this to be an extremely important priority, not only for the candidate countries but also to ensure that the guarantees that we have to provide for our citizens that enlargement will be accompanied by safeguards for the security of Member States. I should like to assure Parliament that the Commission is willing to continue to cooperate, both with regard to creating the Academy and to ensuring its smooth operation.
I have noted Mr Posselt’s proposal that, in 2003, the Commission could draw up a report on the College’s future, on the basis of a study produced by its management board. The Commission is prepared to undertake this task if that is what is decided. Nevertheless, I do not think that this is the idea that Council currently has in mind. The Council wishes the Police College to develop primarily with an intergovernmental approach. Our priority is to see actions in the field of training launched as quickly as possible. The fact that the Commission is not playing a central role in this process, however, does not mean that we will not be paying close attention to the process, doing all that we can to ensure that it is a success, and I am convinced that this project will help to improve security in the area of freedom, security and justice, since freedom and justice can only exist in an environment of genuine security."@en1
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