On 27 June 2014 the European Council adopted the strategic guidelines for the legislative and operational planning of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
during the period 2014-2020.
While it seems reasonable that those
guidelines addressing primarily the immigration and asylum policies
focus on the correct and effective implementation of the European
instruments already in place, it is difficult not to be disappointed by
their lack of ambition and priorities compared to the previous plans
(Tampere,The Hague and Stockholm). These guidelines also represent a
paradoxical turning point with no guidance given by the European Council
at a moment when the Union of Freedom, Security and Justice is
recognised as one of the 5 top priorities of the EU, which is not
neutral from an institutional point of view. While the European
Commission could be seen as the winner of this process, it may be a
pyrrhic victory. The author pleads therefore for the launch of a
detailed action plan prepared by the new Commission on a basis of
inter-institutional cooperation with the Council of Ministers and in
association with the European Parliament.
http://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/the-missed-opportunity-of-the-ypres-guidelines-of-the-european-council-regarding-immigration-and-asylum/?utm_source=MPC+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ea12e71058-MPC_Blog_9_5_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5739ea1f8b-ea12e71058-73568189
