EU & EEA Conference - Developing towards a European Legal Order? (EU-EEA ráðstefna um Evrópurétt. ræða á ensku)
EU & EEA Conference – Developing towards a European Legal Order?
Speech given by Mrs. Sólveig Pétursdóttir
Minister of Justice - Iceland
Minister of Justice - Iceland
Reykjavík, 12 October 2001
Mr. chairman, ladies and gentlemen.
I would first like to use this opportunity to welcome our guests from abroad and wish them an enjoyable stay in this country. This does not however mean that our Icelandic guests are unwelcome and I take pleasure in seeing the good participation at this seminar. We need a lively interest in the topics which are discussed here in order to preserve their position in the ever developing European legal order.
It is also appropriate to mention here today, that exactly 15 years ago, two presidents, Mr. Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev, were meeting in another house in town. They did not reach an agreement but the Reykjavík meeting is considered one of the milestones in recent history. I am afraid that this seminar will not gain the same place in history, but who knows?
The Icelandic membership to the Schengen – Agreement certainly enhanced our already fruitful cooperation with the EU – states. It was a logical development from the EEA-Agreement as it improved the fundamental right of free movement of persons and it also improved the fundamental right of free provision of services , the tourist industry within the EEA-area being the main beneficiary.
But the Schengen Agreement is not only about the removal of border barriers to facilitate the free movement of persons. It contains very important provisions and tools in order to prevent abuse of free transborder movements and new tools for fighting transborder criminal activities It also contains provisions which create a fair balance between rights and obligations of the non-EU Schengen members , Norway and Iceland.
We have wholeheartedly participated in the Schengen cooperation , first and foremost by introducing the Schengen system and associated provisions at our borders earlier this year and by succesfully operating it since. This was a major effort, which has greatly improved the quality of our border surveillance. We have also taken an active role in the Schengen associated committees and the mixed Schengen Council which I now have the pleasure of chairing for the second time. There we have discussed, developed and taken decisions at a political level on Schengen-relevant topics such as harmonized penalties pertaining to the widespread crossborder smuggling of people and trafficking in human beings.
We have also taken the cooperation one step further with the signing of a cooperation Agreement with Europol. I have high hopes for this venture which comes at a time, when there is an urgent need for increased professionalism in police work and when the police is suddenly pushed to the forefront in our defending our societies against organised crime and terrorism.
Our experience of the Schengen Co-operation has been a positive one. We believe that this has also been reciprocal experience for our Schengen partners in taking care of the border traffic at our corner of Europe where we now control a considerable traffic from North America at the Schengen Area border.
Mr. chairman
We are now at war. A war against terrorism erupted with the tragic events in the United States of America on Sept. 11th. The EU states have under the third pillar co-operation decided on several measures to fight this serious menace but it came as a surprise to us when we realised that topics which we consider Schengen relevant are to be dealt with outside our joint Schengen political fora. One of these measures is to introduce the European Arrest Warrant. This is an important piece of legislation but it appears now that the majority of EU-states do not consider it Schengen relevant. Another topic is the extended use of the Schengen Information System for the fight against terrorism. If such matters are not to be considered Schengen relevant , the result will be to divide the Schengen states into two categories which we strongly
object to.
I concur that this is a somewhat complicated legal problem, but a close cooperation in Schengen, where all members participate fully in its development and application is of paramount importance for the success of our joint task. Without such a participation our joint goals and aspirations in the Schengen cooperation will be so much difficult to fullfill.
Mr. chairman, ladies and gentlemen
I repeat my wishes for the success of this seminar and may I express my hope of ever growing European cooperation in the pursuit of peace , freedom and security .