Une délégation de députés de la commission des libertés civiles s'est rendue les 29 et 30 avril à Tallinn pour visiter eu-LISA, l'agence européenne pour la gestion opérationnelle des systèmes d'information à grande échelle dans le domaine de la liberté, de la sécurité et de la justice, quelques jours avant qu'elle ne devienne totalement opérationnelle. Le député démocrate chrétien portugais Carlos Coelho, chef de délégation, se réjouit de son existence: "Enfin, nous avons un outil communautaire, et l'assurance que les données sont gérées dans l'intérêt de l'Europe".

L'agence eu-LISA sera notamment en charge de la gestion du système d'information Schengen de deuxième génération (SIS II), l'un des systèmes d'information pour la sécurité publique les plus importants au monde, et ce dès le 9 mai. Elle s'occupera également des autres systèmes d'information à grande échelle développés par l'Union européenne pour permettre aux douaniers, policiers et autorités judiciaires d'échanger et de comparer des informations dans leurs bases de données.

EURODAC, base de données reprenant les empreintes des demandeurs d'asile, et VIS, système d'information sur les visas, sont concernés. Il est indispensable que ces systèmes soient opérationnels à tout moment, entre autres pour des raisons de sécurité et de protection des données. Par mesure de sécurité, un site de sauvegarde a d'ailleurs été mis en place en Autriche. […]

The EU and Armenia signed on 19 April 2013 an agreement on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation (5860/13) at a ceremony that took place in Brussels. On behalf of the EU, the agreement was signed by Rory Montgomery, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU, and by Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs. For Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, Minister for Foreign Affairs, signed the agreement.

The main objective of this agreement is to establish, on the basis of reciprocity, rapid and effective procedures for the identification and safe and orderly return of those persons. […]

Today, the European Union and Armenia signed an agreement on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation. A visa facilitation agreement with Armenia, opening the way for easier travel and people-to-people contact across Europe, was already signed on 17 December 2012.

"The signature of a readmission agreement is a concrete step forward in EU-Armenia relations", said Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Home Affairs. "The visa facilitation and readmission agreements are very tangible results of the Eastern Partnership and will promote interaction between citizens of the EU and Armenia and strengthen our cooperation in the fight against irregular immigration. I am very pleased that both agreements have now been signed - this means that Armenians will be able to travel more easily while facilitating the effective management of irregular migration". […]

The year 2012 saw a 50% decrease in the number of illegal border crossings detected at EU level compared to the year before. Moreover, at around 73 000, it was the first year since systematic data collection started in 2008 that the total figure for the year stood at less than 100 000.

The main reasons for these drops were two-fold. On the Central Mediterranean sea route to the EU, 2011 was marked by heavy influxes from Libya and Tunisia as a result of the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings. Those flows had fallen off by the end of 2011, and although arrivals on that route grew steadily throughout 2012, they totalled only around 10 300 by year-end.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern Mediterranean route, migrant flows through the previous hot-spot of the Greek-Turkish land border were largely stemmed by increased efforts by the Greek authorities. The effects of the Aspida, or ‘Shield,’ operation by Greece had a dramatic effect on inflows. […]

FRA presented its report on the fundamental rights situation for migrants at the southern sea borders to the Council Working Party on Schengen Evaluations in Brussels on 11 April. Preliminary findings of the report had been shared with the Working Party in December 2012. The report was distributed to delegations from EU Member States, Schengen Associated Countries, the European Commission and Frontex. The Irish Chair welcomed the report as a timely contribution to the knowledge of the Working Party on the situation at sea. The Chair indicated that the issues raised could be considered for future training programmes of evaluators and asked delegations to look closely at the report. […]