Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-19-Speech-3-312"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20031119.13.3-312"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I should like to thank Mr Coelho for his report, which clearly highlights the fundamental challenges presented by the second generation of the Schengen Information System, known as SIS II, and I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate him personally on the initiative that he put forward for the hearing on 6 October in the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs on this matter, because this hearing directly reflects his concern to give the citizens detailed and clear explanations of the usefulness of the work that has been undertaken on the Schengen Information System, with which the Commission fully agrees. I should like to reiterate the fact that the Schengen Information System is a key instrument for the principle of abolishing internal border controls and that, naturally, its development and day-to-day running must take place with scrupulous regard for the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals.
As to the issue that the rapporteur raised, concerning the nature of the Schengen Information System, I should like to recall that, since the very beginning, police authorities have been authorised users of the System, in particular in the context of their monitoring activities within EU territory. The Schengen Information System must now, however, be set in a different context – the context in which it came into existence. Initially, the system was designed as a measure of compensation for the abolition of internal borders, set in a clearly intergovernmental framework. Since the Schengen
was integrated into the European Union, the Schengen Information System has been central to the area of freedom, security and justice. The acceptance of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s partial participation in the Schengen system without these countries abolishing controls at their borders confirms this development. The Spanish initiatives to extend the functions of the existing system and which provide for Europol and Eurojust having access to some of the system’s data – I stress, to some of the system’s data - also form part of this development.
As regards SIS II, the Council has to date confined itself to accepting its existing functions and to providing broad guidelines on new functions. The debate on precisely what new functions of the system will be implemented in order to enhance its effectiveness and whether these will further alter the nature of the existing system is still to take place. I therefore welcome the fact that Parliament wishes to play an active role in this crucial debate, which must be as transparent and wide-ranging as possible.
As you all know, the Commission was given the mandate to develop SIS II, but the current Schengen Information System, known as SIS I+, is managed by France, under the terms of Article°92 of the Schengen Convention, and does not, therefore, fall within the sphere of the Commission’s competence. Mr Coelho’s report on SIS II is based on the Commission’s work to develop this new generation, and the Commission has given a commitment to adopt, in the near future, a new communication to Parliament and the Council detailing the state of the work on developing SIS II in the first quarter of 2003, as well as the important issue the rapporteur highlighted, concerning the technical synergies that will be possible with the future visa information system, known as ‘VIS’. To give you a brief overview of the work that has been undertaken, I should like to remind you that the results of the feasibility study conducted by the Commission were immediately conveyed to Parliament, in the Spring of 2003.
Currently, the project to develop SIS II is at the stage of publishing the call for tender. The Commission services have spent the last few months drawing up the specifications for this tender in close cooperation with the Member States and have kept the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs informed on a regular basis. In his report, Mr Coelho highlights the fundamental challenges in terms of data protection and the importance of involving the authorities responsible for data protection in the development of SIS II. The Commission is fully aware of these challenges, both as regards the system’s development, and concerning the preparation of its legal base. This legal base will include rules on data protection that will also cover access by private individuals. The Commission is also holding regular and intensive meetings with the Joint Supervisory Authority, and has included specifications on data protection in the tender.
Finally, Mr Coelho’s report refers specifically to the need to harmonise the principles of data protection. Although this call for harmonisation goes beyond the issue of SIS II, the Commission intends, in the course of next year, 2004, to propose a legal instrument on rules for the protection of personal data under the third pillar. I therefore wish, once again, to emphasise the importance the Commission attaches to Parliament’s full involvement in the debates that will take place, which I hope will be as transparent as possible, and to which this report will certainly make a decisive contribution. I hope that this report wins the support of this House"@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples