At the same time, we support the establishment of a European police academy as suggested in Tampere as a step in the right direction.

Firstly, what is the situation as regards the training of the border guards, particularly as regards the project for a European police academy?

Unfortunately, Cepol, that is, the European Police Academy, has submitted a lot of information, but nowhere near all of it.

A European police academy will be established to train higher-ranking legal officials. This will also be open to officials from states applying for membership.

What is the current state of progress on two key issues which Parliament first raised in 1998, namely establishing a European police academy and a European border police force?

The Council decided in the first half of 2002 that the European Police Academy would be set up in Denmark temporarily, pending a decision on its final seat.

Madam President, we voted to reject Mr Sousa Pinto's document because it does not offer a proper European police service and, in practice, proposes a copy of the European Police Academy.

We hope that substantial decisions similar to those proposed in Tampere will be taken regarding the creation of common investigation groups, a European police academy and a genuine European judiciary such as EUROJUS.

With regard to setting up a European Institute of Police Studies, this ought surely to come within the scope of the European Police Academy, precisely because we should avoid creating a multiplicity of rival bodies.

When will the Council finally take a decision on the seat of the European Police Academy, and what stage has been reached in preparations for the creation of a common border police force at the EU's external borders?

Subject: European police academy What stage has been reached in the plans for a European police academy, with regard to virtual networks linking existing bodies and the creation of an actual academy at a particular location?

Subject: Protection of the EU's borders Is the Commission prepared to carry out a feasibility study of the creation of EU protective units at the external borders, and what is the current status of the administrative work on setting up the European Police Academy?