Ministers discuss future European cooperation on Justice and Home Affairs 

The main item on the Council's agenda is the next Multi-Annual Programme for Justice and Home Affairs (Tampere II). Ministers will debate how to advance European integration on access to justice and protection of rights, civil and commercial cooperation, terrorism, organised crime and asylum and immigration issues. Discussions will be guided by a Dutch Presidency paper building on a previous Commission's communication on this issue (see

. Follow-up debates will take place at the next formal and informal JHA Councils and the outcome of these discussions will be fed into the 5 November European Council, where the new programme will be adopted by EU leaders.

The delicate issue of appointing a director for Europol will be discussed for the fourth time. Council sources predict there will be deadlock again, which could lead the Presidency to restart the whole appointment procedure. Current candidates are Germany's Jürgen Storbeck - who held the post until June 30 - France's Jacques Franquet and Italy's Emanuele Marotta.

At the request of Belgium, ministers will discuss plans to establish an EU criminal record for crimes such as terrorism and paedophilia. If the idea is backed by a majority of Member States, the Commission would present formal proposals for establishing a network for the compulsory exchange of data and for obliging Member states to take into account previous convictions in other Member States during criminal proceedings.

The Commission will also brief ministers on three recent Communications on an EU common asylum procedure, integration of immigrants and expulsion of illegal immigrants.