The Stockholm Programme

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Justice & Home Affairs – a Stockholm Programme that safeguards security & the rights of individuals

EU cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs has been developing gradually. Common legislation and methods are used to ensure cross-border cooperation that is legally certain. One challenge for the Presidency is to further develop cooperation in areas where cooperation across national borders provides added value.

The Presidency’s ambition is to adopt a new strategic work programme for the entire policy area. The programme, which will be the third in a series, is to specify the framework and focus of EU cooperation in 2010–2014 in areas such as police, border and customs issues, legal matters and asylum, migration and visa policy. The vision for work with the Stockholm Programme is a more secure and open Europe where the rights of individuals are safeguarded.

Work programme for the Swedish Presidency of the EU

A citizens’ Europe

EU cooperation must offer solutions to people’s everyday problems in areas that concern free movement of people. EU citizens move within Europe at an ever-increasing rate. More and more people work abroad and build families with citizens of other countries. It is therefore important to create greater clarity in matters such as which rules are to be applied to facilitate free movement.

Cooperation to combat crime

Law enforcement authorities must be able to cooperate across national borders, both among EU Member States and between the EU and the rest of the world, so as to fight crime effectively. Measures to improve knowledge and information exchanges, which are necessary to be able to prevent, detect and investigate crime, are of great importance. The Presidency’s ambition is to balance effective crime fighting with measures that guarantee the rights of individuals. EU cooperation must have even greater focus on measures for individuals, covering both the rights of a person who is the victim of a crime and of a person who is suspected of a crime.

Asylum and migration issues for the future

The EU has made a great deal of progress in work with a common asylum policy. The Presidency will promote a common asylum system that is characterised by legal certainty and transparency. It is important that the common regulations are applied in the intended manner in the Member States with regard to reception, processing of asylum applications and return. Another important objective is to create common regulations concerning resettlement to help those who need protection but cannot get to the EU.

As is the case with asylum issues, migration issues have high priority. The population in the EU is growing older. Despite unemployment, the EU needs labour immigration, particularly in the long term. The Stockholm Programme should therefore contain measures that allow increased labour immigration to the EU. The EU Global Approach to Migration is an important tool to strengthen the positive link between migration and development, to deepen dialogue and cooperation with countries outside the EU and to counteract irregular immigration without undermining the opportunity to seek asylum.