News of the European Commission Directorate General Home Affairs 27 February 2012 13:55:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_intro_en.htm en Copyright 2011 16 March 2012 12:00 Today the Commission adopted its first Schengen 'health check', a biannual overview on the functioning of the area. The report covers the period from November 2011 to April 2012 and assesses the situation at the Schengen internal and external borders where more than 1.25 billion journeys take place every year. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201205_en.htm#20120516 10 March 2012 10:35 More information... http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201205_en.htm#20120510 19 March 2012 14:00:00 More information... http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201204_en.htm#20120419 29 March 2012 12:00:00 The European Parliament adopted today the 'Joint EU Resettlement Programme' presented by the Commission in 2009. The EU wide resettlement scheme is a considerable step towards concrete engagements and increased cooperation regarding resettlement of refugees to Europe. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120329 28 March 2012 11:25:00 The Commission proposed today to establish a European Cybercrime Centre within Europol to become the Union's focal point in the fight against cybercrime. The Centre would pool European cybercrime expertise and training efforts. It would warn EU countries of major cybercrime threats, of new ways to commit online crimes and identify organised cybercrime networks and prominent offenders in cyberspace. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120328 12 March 2012 16:45:00 The first meeting of the Management Board of the new EU Agency responsible for information systems in the Home Affairs area will take place on tomorrow in Tallinn. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120321 12 March 2012 13:00:00 Today the Commission proposed new rules for a more effective and widespread confiscation of funds and other property acquired through crime. The proposal will simplify existing rules and fill important gaps which are exploited by persons belonging to organised. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120312 22 March 2012 13:00:00 The 5th Integrating Cities Conference took place in Amsterdam in March 2012. Cities and the European Commission considered a development of a strategic partnership for integration. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120308c 08 March 2012 17:20:00 Statement by EU Commissioner Malmström on the Council adoption of a common position on the Joint EU resettlement programme. http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120308b The new EU legislation on control of export, import and transit of firearms has been adopted today. The legislation makes it harder for arms trafficking to take place. 08 March 2012 17:20:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120308a Today, we together commemorate the struggle for women's rights in the economic, social, political and cultural domain and we celebrate some remarkable achievements – an example above all – the three Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. This is also a day where we need to specifically remember women who are victims of crime; women who are trafficked throughout the world; women who migrate in search of a better future; women whose children are abused by criminal networks. We thank women for their efforts to ensure that women and men live in a free, safe and equal world. 08 March 2012 14:50:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201203_en.htm#20120308 Despite having been warned in July 2011, Austria, Cyprus and Greece have not complied yet with EU rules on work permits for highly qualified migrants. Today, the Commission decided... 27 February 2012 13:55:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201202_en.htm#20120227b Today the European Commission has adopted a decision to further harmonize issuing of short stay visas. From now on visa applicants in Egypt should present the same set of documents supporting their application for a short stay visa, irrespectively of which EU States' consulate is in charge of examining their application. 27 February 2012 12:30:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201202_en.htm#20120227a In today’s Grand Chamber judgment, the European Court of Human rights gave its verdict in a case concerning Somalian and Eritrean migrants who had been intercepted at sea by the Italian authorities and sent back to Libya. The Court held unanimously that returning migrants to Libya without examining their case exposed them to a risk of ill-treatment and amounted to a collective expulsion. The Court also agreed that although the operation took place at high seas the applicants fell within the jurisdiction of Italy for the purposes of Article 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights. 23 February 2012 12:30:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201202_en.htm#20120223 According to the Eurobarometer survey published by the Commission today almost three quarters of Europeans continue to see corruption as a major problem, think it exists at all levels of government and has increased in the last three years. Eight percent of respondents say that they have been asked or expected to pay a bribe in the past year... 15 February 2012 12:30:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201202_en.htm#20120215 The Second Progress Reports on the implementation by the Republic of Moldova and by Ukraine of their respective Action Plans on Visa Liberalisation were published today. 10 February 2012 12:30:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201202_en.htm#20120209 This year, the various activities in countries on all continents focus on the topic "Connecting generations and educating each other". Young and old are encouraged to discover the digital world together...safely! 06 February 2012 18:15:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201202_en.htm#20120207 As part of its reform of the EU data protection legislation, the Commission adopted a specific proposal aiming to regulate the collection and use of personal data by the police and the judiciary. 26 January 2012 17:55:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201201_en.htm#20120125 Cecilia Malmström is in Pristina today to launch a visa liberalisation dialogue. The aim of the process is to eventually lift the visa obligation for citizens of Kosovo once the Government of Kosovo will have implemented substantial reforms in several key areas including the security of travel documents, border, migration and asylum management and the fight against organised crime and corruption. 19 January 2012 15:17:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201201_en.htm#20120119 Commission puts forward an action plan on collection of statistics in different crime areas. 25 January 2012 17:30:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201201_en.htm#20120118 An international organised crime network, responsible for a large-scale production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, has been broken up following an extensive investigation by EUROPOL and several other European law enforcement authorities. The operation has resulted in an arrest of the key members of the criminal network, a discovery of 3 illegal drug production facilities and a seizure of over 100 kg of amphetamine, significant quantities of drug precursors, ammunition, firearms and explosives. 13 January 2012 15:03:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201201_en.htm#20120113 As of today, Liechtenstein has become the latest country taking part in the area without checks at internal borders. Over 400 million Europeans from 26 European countries now enjoy passport-free travel across the Schengen area. 19 December 2011 13:20:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111219 Law enforcement agencies from 26 European countries, supported and coordinated by Europol, have carried out a major operation against online child sex abuse file-sharing networks. Operation Icarus has helped to identify 269 suspects and arrest 112 suspects so far, spread across 22 countries. Investigations are ongoing and more arrests are expected. "The joint action carried out under Europol coordination shows our commitment to backing the fight against this appalling crime. It highlights the importance of cooperation between law enforcement authorities at European and international level to tackle criminal activities that know no borders. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal, including the recently adopted EU directive on the fight against pedo-pornography, sexual abuse and exploitation of minors, to support efforts to combat these horrendous crimes and to help protect our children", Cecilia Malmström said at the occasion. 21 December 2011 17:00:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111216 The United Nations' International Migrants Day is annually held on December 18 to recognize the efforts, contributions and rights of about 200 million of migrants worldwide. 16 December 2011 9:23:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111215 Today the European Parliament adopted the so called Single Permit Directive. It will ensure that non-EU workers legally residing in an EU country will enjoy a common set of rights similar to nationals. 13 December 2011 13:00:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111213 The European Commission proposed today to establish a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) with the aim of increasing coordination within and between EU States to prevent and tackle serious crime, such as drug trafficking and the trafficking of human beings, and to diminish the unacceptable death toll of migrants at sea... 12 December 2011 12:35:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111212 "In an ideal world, there would not be any conflicts or wars and there would be no reason for people to leave their homes and countries to seek protection elsewhere. Unfortunately this is not very likely to happen. There have been wars and conflicts as long as mankind has existed. However, this does not mean we should not reinforce our efforts to strive for peace, democracy and human rights. We must work harder to fight climate change and inequalities. And what we certainly can do is strive for the creation of well functioning asylum systems in as many places as possible - where people in need of protection can get access to protection and have the right to an individual assessment of their case, in open and fair systems," Cecilia Malmström said today during the EU UNHCR Ministerial Meeting in Geneva today. 8 December 2011 15:01:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111208 In its Communication on "Enhanced intra-EU solidarity in the field of asylum", adopted today, the European Commission proposes reinforcing practical, technical and financial cooperation, moving towards a better allocation of responsibilities and an improved governance of the asylum system. These steps should favour the completion of the "Common European Asylum System" by 2012. 2 December 2011 13:05:00 http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/news/intro/news_201112_en.htm#20111202