In February 2007, the interior ministers of the European Union Member States set up a High-Level Advisory Group on the Future of European Home Affairs Policy (also known as the Future Group), which consists of the interior ministers of the current trio presidency (Germany, Portugal and Slovenia), the interior ministers of the upcoming trio presidency (France, Czech Republic and Sweden) and one minister of the subsequent trio presidency from early 2010 to June 2011 (Spain, Belgium and Hungary). The group is currently co-chaired by the Minister of the Interior and President of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, Dragutin Mate.

The objective of the group on the future of European home affairs policy is to draft recommendations on European home affairs policy starting in 2010, after the Hague Programme ends. During regular meetings of the group the interior ministers, together with the representatives of the European Commission and the EU Council General Secretariat, discuss various aspects of European home affairs policy and its possible future orientations.

At the December meeting the ministers agreed to hold the next meeting in the Republic of Slovenia on 31 March and 1 April 2008. The topics of the meeting are to be the future asylum system at the EU level, integration and future police cooperation. Besides the interior ministers of the Member States of the group, the meeting in Slovenia will be attended by the Austrian Federal Minister of the Interior, Günther Platter, who will present a paper on integration.

The outcome of the discussion will feed into a report to serve as a source of ideas for the European Commission in drafting a proposal on future home affairs policy. This report will be discussed by the ministers at the second meeting of the Future Group during the Slovenian Presidency, which will be held in June 2008.