Written question asked by Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative) on Monday, 11 September 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 September 2006. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Monday, 9 October 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EU Commissioner for Migration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the case for the creation of an EU Commissioner for Migration.

Answer: [holding answer 18 September 2006]: Franco Frattini, Vice-President of the Commission, is Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, and has responsibility for EU immigration and asylum policy. The UK is not aware of any proposals to create an EU Commissioner for Migration.The President of the Commission, President Barroso, recently wrote to European Heads of state and government announcing that he had set up a special group in the Commission, chaired by Vice-President Frattini, that would bring together Commissioners from a variety of relevant policy areas to discuss EU migration policy. Better co-ordination across the Commission on existing work in this area could be helpful, and we welcome President Barroso’s proposal. We hope that it will indeed lead to a more coherent and effective approach to managing migration into the EU.

Secondary information