Tory opposition to stronger EU prosecution capacity undermines their anti-crime claims

2.47.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 1st Sep 2008

The European Parliament has endorsed plans to strengthen the ability of the EU's 'Eurojust' body of national prosecutors from the 27 countries - chaired until 2007 by the UK's Michael Kennedy, now boss of the Crown Prosecution Service - to coordinate prosecutions for serious and organised transnational crime. British Conservatives however are opposed, as they were to the successful European Arrest Warrant, which has speeded up cross-border extradition.

Commenting, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat European Justice Spokeswoman, said:

"EU police and judicial cooperation is increasingly successful, notably through the European Arrest Warrant, which saw one of the July 2005 bombers brought swiftly back to UK justice from Italy. The powers of Eurojust need to keep up with the ever-increasing mobility and communication of criminals. MEPs are also right to insist that the fight against child pornography and paedophile abuse should be a top Eurojust priority.

"Tory opposition to this strengthening of the EU capacity to put major criminals behind bars shows up the hypocrisy and hot air of their bluster about 'law 'n order'. It is impossible to tackle cross-border serious crime successfully while torpedoing EU cooperation."

The present proposal is for an improvement in Eurojust's operational capacity by setting up an Emergency Coordination Cell to work 24/7 and enable it to intervene in urgent cases. It will also give national police/prosecutor representatives at Eurojust more powers, including the ability to issue search and seizure warrants in their own Member state and allow them to access their national criminal databases for Eurojust investigations.

Sarah Ludford is backing this plan but calls in addition for an equivalent effort to better protect defendants in cross-border cases:

"As Eurojust prosecutors acquire more investigative powers and access to personal information, it is also important to ensure appropriately stronger protection of personal data and defendants' rights and address the problems encountered by defendants and defence lawyers in the light of the growth of European criminal justice legislation and cooperation. Where European prosecutors cooperate across borders, European defence lawyers should do so as well, and we need to examine whether a 'Eurodefence' body may be needed."

ENDS