EU: The Palma Document
01 January 1991
EU: The Palma Document
bacdoc July=1995
Taken from the handbook: "Statewatching the new Europe",
published in November 1993.
The `Palma Document', agreed in Madrid in June 1989, sets out
areas of essential action under a number of headings.
Under the heading Action at external frontiers Trevi is
charged, along with the Ad Hoc Group on Immigration and MAG 92,
with: a system of surveillance at external frontiers; improved
co-operation and exchange of information between law enforcement
agencies and customs; `combatting illegal immigration networks';
establishing a system to exchange information on people who are
`wanted' and those who are `inadmissible' to the EC. Under Action
at internal frontiers and inside the EC: drug trafficking,
terrorism, development of a common system of search and
information.
Under Terrorism: intensifying the exchange of information
about the `removal of citizens of third countries which represent
a possible terrorist danger to security'; `permanent targeted
exchange of information' on known members of terrorist groups;
establishment of a central registry of false documents,
explosives, detonators; study of a common system for wanted
persons (removal of third country nationals and suspects under
police surveillance).
Declaration of Trevi group Ministers
The Declaration of Trevi group Ministers, agreed in Paris on 15
December 1989, sets out `Principles' starting with the `essential
personal freedom..(of)..the freedom of movement'. While: `We
utterly reject the idea that this development would result in the
creation of a Community closed to the rest of Europe and the
world... At the same time we note with growing concern the
development of organised crime across frontiers. Terrorists and
professional criminals are increasingly adept at exploiting the
limits of competence of national agencies'.
The Principles also refer to the differences in legal systems
and the problems created for `public order and internal
security'. Four areas of cooperation are put forward: 1)
Communication and exchange of information: the posting of liaison
officers; setting up national intelligence units on drugs; the
creation of a common information system; 2) Frontiers: `to
introduce at external frontiers controls which will safeguard the
interests of all Member States'; in the longer term the
allocation `at a European level [of] a radio frequency common to
all services responsible for public safety'; the framing of
bilateral agreements for the crossing of common frontiers `when
following persons suspected of serious offences, or when in
pursuit of individuals having committed flagrant violations of
the law'; 3) Technical training: `we will encourage our agencies
to exchange information and experience on new technology and
methods'; widen the knowledge of each others organisations and
laws; 4) Liaison officers: to develop a network of liaison
officers `posted to countries which are not members of the EC',
and examine the possibility of extending their work `to other
forms of crime'; `We will keep like-minded non-member countries
informed on policy developments..'
The Programme of Action
The Programme of Action, agreed by the Trevi group Ministers in
Dublin in June 1990, is divided into three Chapters: Areas of
Cooperation, Methods of Cooperation and Implementation of
Cooperation.
Chapter 1 covers the cooperation between the police and
security services on: 1) Combating terrorism: asks them to
`intensify' the updating of `detailed information concerning the
activity of terrorist groups, their techniques, logistics
supports, their financing and the incidents they provoke' and for
the provision of a permanent procedure for `assessing terrorist
threats against Member States' (see above); to improve security
standards at airports, ports, railway stations, and possibly
ferry-boats; to `facilitate the search for terrorists' to appoint