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Europaudvalget 2006-07
Det Europæiske Råd 14.-15/12-06 Bilag 2
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COUNCIL OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 20 November 2006

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POLGEN 105

NOTE

from:

to:

Subject:

Presidency

COREPER

European Council (14 and 15 December 2006)

– Draft conclusions

The Presidency hereby submits to Coreper draft conclusions to be agreed by the European Council

at its meeting on 14-15 December 2006.

The text will continue to be updated in the light of the work underway. In particular, section II will

need to be updated in the light of the outcome of the forthcoming JHA Council.

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The meeting of the European Council was preceded by an exposé by the President of the

European Parliament, Mr Josep Borrell, followed by an exchange of views.

The European Council discussed the following items:

II.

III.

IV.

Enlargement

Area of freedom, security and justice

Innovation and Energy

External Relations

ENLARGEMENT

Romania and Bulgaria

PM: As a follow-up to the conclusion of the ratification procedure of the accession treaty of

Romania and Bulgaria, the Presidency will update this section with a text welcoming the

accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Union on 1 January 2007.

Future enlargements

PM: As a follow-up to the European Council conclusions of June 2006, and on the basis of

the Commission communication on the enlargement strategy and its special report on the

EU's capacity to integrate new members, the Heads of State or Government will have a

debate on all aspects of future enlargements. The European perspective of the Western

Balkans will be recalled in this context.

Turkey

Croatia

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II.

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE

When adopting the Hague Programme in November 2004 the European Council agreed to

take stock of its implementation during the second half of 2006. In that context the European

Council discussed migration and the improvement of decision-making in the area of freedom,

security and justice.

PM: Improvements to the decision-making and action of the Union in this field.

A European Migration Policy

Events in 2006 show that the European Union urgently needs a more comprehensive

European migration policy addressing adequately both the challenges and the opportunities of

migration in a globalised world. The progress made in implementing the priority actions the

European Council decided in December 2005 has demonstrated that migration needs to be

addressed in a comprehensive manner and that these efforts now need to be strengthened.

This European migration policy builds on the conclusions of the Tampere European Council

in 1999, the Hague Programme of 2004 and the Global Approach to Migration adopted

in 2005. It is based on the solidarity, mutual trust and shared responsibility of the European

Union and its Member States. It respects human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants,

including those in the Geneva Conventions and due access to asylum processes. A significant

part of the further development of this policy is to apply the lessons learned from the

application of the Global Approach to the countries of Africa and the Mediterranean to other

regions and to broaden the scope of the actions to be pursued to other policy areas as well.

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As next steps for enhancing the comprehensive European migration policy the European

Council agrees on the following:



partnership between the European Union and African and Mediterranean countries of

origin and transit must be deepened by broadening dialogue and strengthening practical

cooperation. The migration and development agenda must be intensified and there must

be increased coherence between the Union's various policies related to migration. Well-

managed migration policy also enables existing and future labour needs to be met and

contributes to sustainable development of all countries;



integration and intercultural dialogue must continue to be promoted at Member State

and EU level. An integration policy based on shared responsibilities will benefit the

migrants and the host societies equally;



the Common European Asylum System must be realised by 2010. While developing the

second phase of the Common European Asylum System practical cooperation in the

area of asylum must be strengthened, in particular through the creation of asylum expert

teams and examining the possibility and scope of a European Support Office;



the cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration must be strengthened, taking

account of the Commission Communication on policy priorities in this regard and

proposals directed to extended European solidarity. A comprehensive policy balancing

extended solidarity and burden sharing as well as effective implementation of the EU

acquis has to be developed, also addressing the root causes for illegal migration. Priority

must also be given to measures to improve cooperation on return and readmission both

among EU Member States and with third countries. Support to capacity-building in

third countries for more effective migration management is an essential element.

Measures against illegal employment must be intensified at Member State and EU level.

Existing and new technological possibilities will be fully utilised to enhance border

control, to allow persons to be identified reliably and to fight illegal immigration;

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

full use should be made of the substantial resources which are available if all the

existing budget lines are brought fully into play and all possibilities available used

consistently and coherently in order to support the implementation of the

comprehensive migration policy;



the Global Approach should be applied to countries at the eastern and south eastern

borders of the European Union. The Commission is invited to make proposals on

enhanced dialogue and concrete measures to be launched;



the effective management of the European Union's external borders must be pursued. In

line with the integrated border management strategy agreed by the Council in 2006 the

central underlying principles of this strategy are solidarity, mutual trust and co-

responsibility and the need for a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to border

management as well as the central role of Frontex;



priority should now be given to establishing a permanent MEDSEA Coastal Patrol

Network and to examining the possibility of creating a European Surveillance System

for the southern maritime borders. The capacity of Frontex should be enhanced by

ensuring adequate resources, reinforcing links with the Immigration Liaison Officer

Network and completing of the planned review of the Agency and its tasks in 2007.

The Commission is invited to report back on the implementation of the comprehensive

migration policy by the end of 2007.

PM Schengen / JHA Council

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III. INNOVATION AND ENERGY

Innovation

Following the Informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Lahti, the European

Council underlines that innovation is crucial to Europe's ability to respond effectively to the

challenges and opportunities of globalisation. Europe needs a strategic approach aimed at

creating an innovation-friendly environment where knowledge is converted into innovative

products and services.

[Strategic priorities for stimulating innovation at EU level have been

defined by the Competitiveness Council; progress made in delivering results will be

monitored at future Spring European Council meetings within the framework of the Lisbon

Strategy for Growth and Jobs.]

The European Council emphasises in particular the following:



PM: Intellectual Property Rights;

the Council and the European Parliament should act rapidly on the Commission's

proposal to set up a European Institute of Technology;



the Commission is invited to make rapidly proposals for the setting up of the most

advanced Joint Technology Initiatives;



the Commission is invited, in consultation with industry, to propose action for the

improvement of the working methods and overall resources of European standardisation

bodies; standards must be developed quickly enough to meet the needs of fast-moving

markets, whilst ensuring interoperability.

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Information and communication technologies are vital for innovation and competitiveness.

Immediate priorities are the development of efficient spectrum allocation models, the fast

promotion of advanced mobile services and a coordinated approach for the use of spectrum

capacity becoming available as a result of digital switch-over. The 2008 Spring European

Council will review the challenges of the next generation of internet and networks.

Energy

With regard to the development of the Energy Policy for Europe, important progress has been

achieved especially on strengthening the coherence between its external and internal aspects

and between energy policy and other policies. The Informal meeting of Heads of State or

Government in Lahti took important steps in strengthening the consistency of the Union's

energy messages to third countries. The Union must continue to work to ensure long-term

security of energy supply through improved cooperation with major producer, transit and

consumer countries.

The European Council endorses the setting up of a network of energy security correspondents

without delay. This will be an important tool for collecting and processing existing

geopolitical and energy related information. It will also provide an early warning tool to

support the Union's overall strategy with the aim of ensuring the security of energy supply.

Energy efficiency and energy savings contribute concurrently to the main objectives of the

European energy policy. The European Union must show strong leadership globally in

combating climate change by enhancing secure and sustainable energy.

The Spring 2007 European Council is due to adopt a prioritised Action Plan as part of an

overall Energy Policy for Europe. The European Council looks forward to the imminent

presentation by the Commission of its Strategic Energy Review as part of the preparations for

the adoption of that Plan. European energy policy will be discussed by the European Council

on a regular basis in the future.

PM Climate Change

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IV. EXTERNAL RELATIONS

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