Date of release : 14-04-2005

Policy area : Justice and Home Affairs Justice and Home Affairs

Event : Justice and Home Affairs Council

After the "Justice and Home Affairs" Council, Minister for Justice and current Council President, Luc Frieden, expressed "the Presidency’s great satisfaction that after intensive consultation, an unanimous agreement was reached that the headquarters of the new European Agency for the management of operational cooperation at the external borders of the Member States of the Union will be situated in Warsaw."

The Presidency underscored the importance that the European Agency for External Borders "become operational as soon as possible, since it is supposed to begin its work on May 1, and since everything must be done to ensure a smooth transition to continue current or planned operations."

"The fact that the headquarters of the Agency will be located in Warsaw will allow the budgetary authorities to release the necessary funds and the Board of Directors to soon appoint the director based on a short list that the Commission will submit," the Minister added.

According to the rule the Council adopted on 26 October 2004, the European Agency for External Borders is supposed "to facilitate the application of existing and future Community measures concerning management of the EU's external borders by coordinating Member States' actions to implement those measures."