Yet another Agency: The Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice [supplemented]

According to the German tech news heise.de (quoting Austrian sources), Estonia is the only country applying to host the future

Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice.

The Agency, which is part of a larger legislative package around the Schengen Information System (SIS) infrastructure that will see its second generation (SIS II) implemented, is not yet created; the respective proposal has been forwarded by the Commission to the Council and the Parliament on 26 June 2009 (see PRELEX).

The Council Working Group Schengen Acquis – Mixed Committee (EU-Iceland/ Norway/ Switzerland/ Liechtenstein) will discuss the issue on 9 September 2009 (agenda), and

"[m]ember States are invited to compose their delegations with expertise on both the institutional aspect of establishing rules for EU-agencies and know-how on effective IT-management".

It is unclear when the Parliament will deal with the topic.

PS.: Let me also remind in this context that there will be a massive data collection exercise at the EU/Schengen borders starting in one week.

Supplement:

I would like to share the comment by Mariya to this post, which adds some more content to the debate around this new agency:

Indeed, yet another agency with yet another long name. Stay tuned for another fancy acronym. Though nothing beats my favorite 'SISone4all'.

What I find more interesting though is the legal basis for this agency. According to the Commission, "The present package of legal instruments combines two legal instruments: a Regulation governing the first-pillar aspects of SIS II and VIS as well as EURODAC and a Decision regarding third-pillar aspects of SIS II and VIS".

It should make for an interesting battle between the Council and the EP. The proposal is also intriguing from another perspective: it is presented in a way that suggests that it is a mere technical issue and is mainly (if at all) justified in terms of efficiency. Undoubtedly, this makes it easier to sell but there is no mention of the normative consequences of such decision for, among others, data protection. Also, I would have liked to see how this is a part of a bigger strategy for the development of JHA policy. As it stands, it smacks of an attempt to introduce e-borders in the same way as the US has done.

Estonian independent candidate Indrek Tarand becomes MEP

In Estonia, which saw turnout for the EP elections almost double compared to 2004, Indrek Tarand, an independent candidate, received enough votes - 102,509 - to enter the European Parliament as one of only 6 MEPs, apparently by running an anti-party campaign:

European Parliament buries Mikko's anti-blogger initiative

Relief. Happiness. Bliss. Felicity. Time for a coffee.

Yesterday, the European Parliament - this is the one that has a broken ceiling in Strasbourg - has managed not to break another ceiling. The Estionian fear initiative - sponsored by social democrat and PES member Marianne Mikko - to make the blogosphere more "transparent" (cf.: "glas ceiling") has been watered down to a level where the text of the resolution says:

25. Encourages an open discussion on all issues relating to the status of weblogs;

I think that is appropriate and I can only encourage parliamentarians to discuss openly the status of weblogs, especially considering their brilliant acknowledgement also to be found in the resolution:

[W]eblogs represent an important new contribution to freedom of expression and are increasingly used by media professionals as well as by private persons.

Brilliant. Amazing. Lovable. Cute. Substantial.

And actually, these sentences are the only two references to blogs in the whole resolution. After the huge discussions around the subject, it almost seems as if the parliamentarians have decided to ignore us as much as possible instead of bothering us with useless initiatives. Why not?!

There is some hope for the European Parliament, I suppose. Sometimes, a broken ceiling might be helpful to see the sun and to feel some fresh air. Very helpful for the brain, from time to time...

In this sense: Let's go outside and have a coffee, fellow bloggers!

Tracking: European parliament elections 2009 (XIV)

Only every third Estonian plans to take part in the next European Parliament elections.

And what to do about it? Well, Euractive has discovered the wonderful possibility of the... internet. Wow! The internet! For an election campaign! I definitely like the comment of Clinton's former campaign manager Mark Penn, who tells Euractiv:

"I have no doubt that ten years from now campaigns in Europe will be so much more online and in many ways the internet campaigns will become a lot more of an extension of the EU."

That is the perspective for the EU online election campaign - in 10 years, we might have it.

Maybe more efficient to get more voters to the polling stations is the Irish strategy of holding European and local elections on the same day, on 11 June 2009, almost exactly one year after the "No" to the Lisbon Treaty (12 June 2008).

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Under the category "Tracking: European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009. So far: (13), (12), (11), (10), (9), (8), (7), (6), (5), (4), (3), (2), (1).

Tracking: EP elections (XI) - supplemented

In Estonia, several high political figures are planning to run for the European elections in 2009 (or at least they are considering it). The names mentioned are Edgar Savisaar, former Prime Minister and controversial Center Party leader, Andrus Ansip, current Prime Minister of Estonia, and Siim Kallas, current EU Commissioner.

In Poland, political parties also get ready for next year's elections.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister and member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has participated in the PES (Party of European Socialists) manifesto discussion.

An Irish businessman and Labour member launched a pro-European group to inform about the EU's work ahead of the upcoming elections.

And the Greek opposition leader Papandreou confirms that the stupidities of the past will be continued in the future saying "the Euroelections will not only be a vote on the course of Europe, but they will have the character of a referendum for the government and its policies to which an end must be put".

Supplement: Dutch right-wing liberals from VVD will rally against Turkish EU membership during the 2009 EU parliament election campaign, demanding a 10-year moratorium on the issue

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Under the category "Tracking: EP elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009. So far: (10), (9), (8), (7), (6), (5), (4), (3), (2), (1).

Tracking: EP elections 2009 (IV)

Found at EuropeanVoice.com:

Estonians may be allowed to vote by mobile phones in next year's European Parliament elections

Estonians may next year become the first people in the world allowed to cast votes by mobile phones – and the first elections for which ‘m-voting’ would be allowed would be to the European Parliament.

A bill on m-voting, as the possibility is dubbed, was introduced today [16 July 2009; JF] and will be put to the vote in the Estonian parliament in September. The proposal has the backing of all members of Estonia’s governing coalition. [...]

Estonia is a funny country: The internet is a civil right there and every commune has to provide at least one free access point for all citizens. Estonia was one of the first countries, if not the first country to introduce e-voting and voting through the internet. Oh yes, and Estonia was also the only country that had to introduce [sic!] customs duties/tariffs for entering the European Union because before it did not have any...

So now: Mobile phone voting for the European Parliament elections in 2009. Actually, that doesn't surprise me.

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Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.

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