EU justice chief courts controversy

Europe's new Italian justice chief has backed controversial calls to set up refugee camps and an EU intelligence service.

Rocco Buttiglione - appointed Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security last week - is supporting a revived move to set asylum transit camps outside the EU.

Germany and Italy are set to table plans to create centres to process asylum-seekers headed to Europe this October.

Similar proposals tabled last year by the UK failed after opposition from national capitals including Berlin.

But the adoption of EU refugee processing rules in April has revived the idea of handling refugee claims outside EU borders.

Although Brussels currently has no plans to set up refugee camps, Buttiglione backing for such a scheme may see the EU taking a tougher line under a new European Commission in November.

The former Italian Europe minister used a radio interview to descibe the prospect of processing centres in countries such as Tunisia as "a good idea".

Previous proposals have generated concerns over human rights protection in refugee centres outside of the EU.

Buttiglione is also seeking to put new momentum behind proposals for an EU intelligence service.

Post-Madrid bombing calls for anti-terror intelligence sharing fell short  of involving national secret services.

But the Italian will push for a rethink - possibly using embryonic EU defence structures as a secure setting for such a service.

"I am thinking of a more efficient use of European secret services through the creation of a coordination unit," he told La Stampa on Saturday.

"It could be created under the authority of my commission office. But it would be more appropriate to insert it into the still embryonic structure created for European defence."

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