"Sell-out agreement" on data retention

Speech by Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP delivered to The European Parliament on Wed 14th Dec 2005

Sarah Ludford (ALDE). - Mr President, the present national variation that Mr Clarke says gives an open goal to criminals will persist and even grow under the Council Conservative-Socialist deal. It is a pretext for gold plating to allow, for instance, the 15 years storage that Poland wants, a wider list of data used for purposes far removed from law enforcement and access for any public or private agency, and all with a convenient Brussels stamp of approval.

In contrast, the agreement of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs is a reasonable and proportionate response to fighting terrorism. If MEPs tomorrow accept the Council take-it-or-leave-it deal, they will have fallen victim to a vast con trick. This Parliament could give up any pretence to care either about civil liberties or about European business competitiveness. It is not too late for individual Members to rebel against the sell-out agreement by their leaders to a charter for mass surveillance and state snooping.

Finally, I deplore the attacks on Mr Alvaro; he delivered a resounding near-consensus in Committee. To use his three day absence on an official trip to Israel at the end of a phone and fax is a cheap alibi for a stab in the back by Mrs Klamt and Mrs Roure.