FECL 16 (June 1993):

CONTINUOUS SQUABBLING ON EUROPOL HEADQAURTERS SITE

Disagreement over the location of a headquarters continues to delay the Europol project and threatens to make it a laughing stock, European Community interior ministers have been warned.

No progress was made at the interior and justice ministers' meeting in Kolding (Denmark), on 6 and 7 May on setting up the European Drug s Intelligence Unit (EDU), the first stage of the proposed EC-wide police intelligence network.

Talks stalled in the face of continuing disagreement among Franc, Italy and Holland over where to base the unit.

The deadlock threatens to prevent the team from being operational by the targeted date of July 1, itself a postponement from January.

The Danish Justice Minister, Erling Olsen, said: "We have to agree on the siting by the end of June. It would be ridiculous if we can't have Europol by July."

Kenneth Clarke, the British Home Secretary, said many of the ministers involved were becoming exasperated.