»Vi har fuldt ud à la lettre (ordret og fuldstændigt) levet op til vores mandat«, meddeler Tove Ernst og Mina Andreeva, pressemedarbejdere for henholdsvis Kommissær Cecilia Malmström (Sverige) og Kommissær Viviane Reding (Luxembourg).

I en udtalelse til NOTAT forklarer de to:

»Handlingsplanen sigter mod at nå alle de politiske mål, som Det Europæiske Råd (stats- og regeringscheferne, red.) har sat sig i Stockholm-programmet, at reagere på Europa-Parlamentets prioriteter på disse områder, og til at møde udfordringerne foran os.«

"Debatten kan nå at modne"

Ved at henvise til Europa-Parlamentet, og til "udfordringerne foran os", gør Kommissionen det klart, at Kommissionen ser på helheden og fremtidens behov, og at ministrene så må mene, hvad de vil om dét. Det budskab understreges af en besked om, at Kommissionen ikke agter at trække noget som helst i handlingsplanen tilbage:

»Kommissionen betragter disse handlinger som forbundne, nødvendige, og i overensstemmelse med det ambitionsniveau, som Unionen er nødt til at udvise. (...) Tidsperspektivet i handlingsplanen er sat under hensyn til de nødvendige forberedelser, og med henblik på, at debatten om hvert enkelt sagsområde skal nå at modne,« lyder beskeden fra Bruxelles.

Kommissionens svar på NOTATs henvendelse kan læses i sin helhed herunder: 

Dear Staffan, NOTAT

Thank you very much for your email, we assume you are referring to the conclusions adopted by the Council noting that "some of the actions proposed by the Commission are not in line with the Stockholm programme". On behalf of Commissioner Malmström and Commissioner Reding, we would like to transmit the following information:

With the adoption of the Stockholm Programme, the European Council has defined the strategic guidelines for the Union in the area of Justice and Home Affairs. The Council has mandated the Commission to come forward with an Action Plan, which would "translate the aims and priorities of the Stockholm Programme into concrete actions".

We have fulfilled this mandate, à la lettre, only two months after the start of the new Commission. We have thoroughly screened each provision within the Stockholm Programme and we have proposed one or several corresponding actions for each.

The European Commission believes that the actions included in the Action Plan are necessary for the implementation of the Stockholm Programme. The Action Plan implementing the Stockholm Programme , which was endorsed by the Council, is the Commission's guidance in implementing the Stockholm Programme.

The action plan aims at delivering all the political objectives set out by the European Council in the Stockholm Programme, to respond to European Parliament priorities in these areas and to meet the challenges ahead of us. It includes concrete actions with a clear timetable for adoption and implementation. The Commission regards these actions as interlinked, indispensable and consistent with the scale of ambition the Union needs to demonstrate.

Working methods and instruments such as evaluations, impact assessments, studies, prior to new legislation and initiatives are also included in the action plan. The timing proposed in the action plan has been drawn up by taking into account the necessary preparation and the maturity of the debate on each particular issue.  

Kind regards,

Mina Andreeva and Tove Ernst

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