A five year plan creating a common asylum and immigration system will be implemented by the European Council next year, the Minister for Justice said today.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr McDowell said the Hague Programme, which was adopted by the European Council this month, required the Council to draw up a blueprint to implement the 90 proposals it contains.
The Minister said national vetoes on asylum policies would be abolished and replaced by qualified majority voting in relation to procedural areas of asylum law before April 1st, next year.
Under the terms of the Hague Programme Mr McDowell said a target has been set for the development of a common asylum system of 2010.
He said the proposed policy plan on would allow non-nationals to work legally in the EU, in accordance with labour market needs.
The plan has four basic strands; asylum and immigration; security; justice and external relations.
Arrangements for the transfer of police information between all EU countries will be improved and
intelligence and security services will communicate regarding terrorist threats.
Under the five-year plan, a European area of justice will be created which will respect the diversity of legal systems in the member states.
According to Mr McDowell the plan is a response to the central concerns of EU citizens.
"The issues dealt with in the Hague Programme are among those which have been shown to be of greatest direct concern to those citizens. They attach great importance to the practical expression of the concept of freedom, security and justice.
"Events such as the September 11th, 2001 attacks in the US and the March 11th attacks in Madrid this year serve to underline those concerns," he said.