Allister opposes further Europeanisation of criminal justice
10 May 2006
"At an EU foreign ministers' meeting on the future of Europe on 27-28 May, followed by a key EU leaders' summit in June, the European Commission will propose to EU leaders to move a large number of decisions on police and criminal matters from the national to the European level, aiming at elimitating national vetoes in this area.
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a speech on the future of Europe in Lisbon on Monday (8 May) the Commission seeks "to transfer to the [European] Community a large number of the decisions in the fields of justice, freedom and security that can be dealt with more effectively at European level than at national level."
Brussels proposes to use a so-called "passerelle" or "bridging" clause in the current EU treaty, which allows the shifting of policy areas from the "third" to the "first" pillar of EU decision-making.
In practical terms, this means that sensitive decisions such as on standards of evidence in judicial matters or cross-border police pursuits will become subject to proposals from the European Commission, scrutiny by the European Parliament and jurisdiction by the European Court of Justice.
Currently, these decisions are taken among member states, which can each block agreements using their national veto.
Fortunately, any move from unanimity to majority-voting, requires first a unanimous vote by member states, and in this regard I am calling on the UK to exercise its veto. Criminal justice matters are intrinsically national issues and must remain so, rather than being surrendered to Brussels in a process of creeping centralisation. This proposal also amounts to "cherry picking" from the rejected constitution text, which also proposed to "Europeanise" justice and police decisions."
