ENP Assistance priorities

Activities aiming towards the reform of the social sector in the Mediterranean Partner countries will be financed from the 1,4 billion euro 2007 budget committed by the European Commission, to assist the 17 countries along the EU’s Southern and Eastern border.

Under the new European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), the other priority objectives in which concrete actions will be financed are

• economic reforms and governance,
• employment,
• competitiveness and trade

EP to double Frontex budget

The European Parliament's Budgets Committee voted today, in favour of a €30 million increase in the 2008 budget for the EU Frontex agency for operational purposes, including missions in the Mediterranean.

The proposal was an initiative of MEP Simon Busuttil (EPP-ED) and was supported by the Socialist Group. As a result of today's vote, the Frontex budget for next year will effectively be doubled from this year's €35m to as much as €70m.

Mr Busuttil said that the Budgets Committee had delivered on its political commitment to help Malta and other Southern Member States on illegal immigration: "The political signal of this vote speaks for itself", he said. "Our aim is to increase the duration of Frontex missions in the Mediterranean, certainly to cover the peak immigration season from the beginning of May through to October. We will not be satisfied with anything less than that."