Joint Parliamentary Meeting "Building a Citizens' Europe"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Stockholm Programme" 2010 - 2014

The Parliamentary dimension of a European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice 

The European Parliament and the Swedish Riksdag organised a Joint Parliamentary Meeting whith the title "Building a Citizens' Europe", which took place in Brussels on the 16 and 17 November. Members of the European Parliament and their counterparts in national parliaments debated the so-called "Stockholm Programme" dealing with the European area of Freedom, Security and Justice. The JPM was co-chaired by the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, and the Speaker of the Swedish Riksdag, Per Westerberg.

The main issues on the agenda of this JPM were "Promoting Citizens' Rights - A Europe of values and rights", "A Europe of Justice - Strengthening democratic accountability and legal certainty at European, national and local level" and "Protecting Citizens - A European domestic security strategy". These topics were dealt by the participants in three different working groups during the first day of the JPM and analysed in the plenary of the JPM on the second day.

The JPM began with introductory speeches by Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Chairman of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and by Thomas Bodström, Chairman of the Committee on Justice of the Swedish Riksdag. It included also statements by Beatrice Ask, Minister for Justice of Sweden and Jacques Barrot, European Commission Vice-president, responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security.