Slovenia as the next EU presiding country will give its full attention to cooperation with Russia in all areas that are of priority for both sides, Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said after an EU-Russia ministerial in Brussels on Friday, quoting safety of documents, illegal migrations and trafficking in drugs and people.
The two-day session of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council focused on ways to combat terrorism, in particular instigation to terrorism on the internet, as well as organised crime, visa dialogue and illegal trafficking.
Mate, who attended the meeting along with Justice Minister Lovro Sturm, highlighted that the mentioned cooperation with Russia should be based on a high level of personal data protection.
According to Mate, Slovenia made the commitment to resume and expand the work on the priorities determined by the Portuguese presidency and European Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini.
An important element of cooperation with Russia as highlighted by the Slovenian minister is "eventual creation of Europol as an agency" in order to facilitate the cooperation. Europol is also one of the priorities of the Slovenian presidency.
"We hope that by the next Council we'll be able to prepare at least some of the areas and take a step forward to more concrete forms of operative cooperation," Mate said.
Justice Minister Sturm added that Slovenia would continue to support Russia's efforts in reforming its justice system towards international standards.
Commissioner Frattini assessed the sides had made progress in dialogue about the future abolition of visas. The meeting also hailed the June implementation of the agreement that facilitates the acquisition of visas for EU for Russian nationals.
Frattini and the Russian president's adviser Viktor Ivanov also highlighted the abuse of the internet for terrorism, while both sides agreed they should continue cooperation in the combat against terrorism, in particular radicalism, recruitment and funding of terrorism.
During Slovenia's spell as EU president in the first half of 2008, the EU-Russia troika is scheduled to meet as part of the working group for terrorism, according to a press release from the Interior Ministry.
The EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council wrapped up with a joint conclusion that the extensive and concrete cooperation in the area of freedom, security and justice, based on common values, was an integral part of strategic partnership between the EU and Russia. The next such meeting is to be held in Russia in the first half of 2008.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|