WHERE DO WE STAND TODAY?
Alternative consultation on the future of EU Justice & Home
Affairs policy
Deadline:
survey closes 31 December 2008
Complete
the alternative JHA consultation now [49 multiple choice questions, opens in
pop-up window]
Why an alternative
consultation?
The European Commission
has launched a public consultation on the future priorities in
the field of Justice and Home Affairs policy. The EU has been
developing its 'Area of freedom, security and justice' - measures
concerning police cooperation, counter-terrorism, immigration,
asylum and border controls - for more than a decade, and claims
to have upheld civil liberties and people's privacy with its
policies. Many civil society organisations disagree, arguing
that the EU has failed to uphold the human rights and democratic
standards that Europe holds so dear.
The 'Area of freedom,
security and justice' has been developed largely on the basis
of two five year plans - the Tampere (1999) and Hague (2004)
programmes - both of which were drawn-up and adopted with no
input from parliaments or civil society. The importance of these
action plans can not be understated, they set the policy agenda
and the parameters and objectives for specific policy measures.
It is planned that the
plan for 2009-14 will be adopted under the Swedish presidency
as the Stockholm programme in around a year's time (November
2009). As part of the 'exchange of ideas that will lead to the
definition of priorities for the next five years, the European
Commission has launched a 'wide-ranging public consultation'.
Regrettably, the questions that the Commission has posed appear
to be designed to solicit public support for specific EU policy
initiatives rather than encouraging a meaningful exchange on
the substance and content of those policies (see Commission
consultation).
The European Civil Liberties
Network has therefore designed an alternative questionnaire that
poses different questions about the development and implementation
of EU policies and their effect on civil liberties and human
rights. This alternative consultation also takes into account
the substantive discussions that have recently taken place within
the EU's 'Future
Group'.
It only takes a few minutes
to complete the alternative consultation on the 'Area of freedom,
security and justice'. The results will be compiled and submitted
to the European Commission, which promises to take 'additional
contributions' into account.
You can choose to complete
the questionnaire anonymously or to provide basic information
about yourself/your organisation that will be used in the analysis
of the results. Data identifying individual respondents will
never be disclosed and we will not share this information with
any other organisation. Data will be erased after use. You must
provide a valid e-mail address to authenticate your response.
Have your say on the future
of EU JHA policy: take
the alternative JHA consultation now
Deadline:
survey closes 31 December 2008
