Sarah speaking about transatlantic relations in the aftermath of the US elections

Speech by Sarah Ludford (on behalf of the ALDE group) delivered to European Parliament on Wed 25th Mar 2009

Mr President, I would like to speak on the justice and security issues covered in this report, not because I am not interested in the economic aspects but because I only have three minutes.

Clearly there is a vital need for transatlantic cooperation to combat terrorism and major crime, but it must be done in full respect of the rule of law - domestic and international - and of fundamental rights. For data-sharing, though, it must be a robust and binding legal framework of data protection.

The clearest demonstration of the change in approach from President Obama is the intention to close Guantánamo Bay. That is very welcome, and this House has called on Member States to respond positively to a formal request from the US to resettle about 60 low-risk or no-risk former detainees who will not be charged. That request was officially delivered last week on the occasion of the visit of Vice-President Barrot and Minister Langer, and I hope that we see a result soon. I understand it is helped by the willingness now by the Americans to resettle some themselves, such as the 17 Uighurs.

It would also be good if President Obama could go further than his January executive orders and announce the closure of all CIA detention centres and a total end to extraordinary rendition. Full disclosure of what has happened in the last seven and a half years, including the shameful use of the outsourcing of torture, is necessary to ensure that there is no repeat, and especially no repeat of the collusion from Europe.

This report, adopting an amendment I tabled, urges the new US Administration to ratify and accede to the Statute of the International Criminal Court. This would obviously strengthen that court. US abolition of the death penalty would similarly represent global leadership.

The prompt entry into force of the EU-US extradition and legal assistance agreements would boost criminal law cooperation, as well as eliminating the grey area which made extraordinary rendition flights possible. But such cooperation can only be supported if it delivers fair treatment. I have a constituent who is under threat of extradition and decades in a supermax prison because he hacked into the Pentagon computer. It is alarming that he succeeded, but he is a computer anorak, not a terrorist, and he has Asperger's syndrome. The US should drop its extradition request and let him be prosecuted, if at all, in the UK.

Finally I would like to address the subject of the ALDE Group amendments which concern online gambling. It is important to get a swift solution to this dispute, which concerns bans and prosecutions by the US affecting only European Internet gambling operators in illegally selective prosecutions. The US asserts in front of the WTO that all Internet betting is forbidden there, but that is not true. US-based online betting on horse racing, and indeed official state lotteries, are tolerated, but only foreign providers are prosecuted.

I have no particular love for Internet gambling - indeed, it worries me - but discriminatory treatment in brazen defiance of WTO rulings has no place in a healthy transatlantic relationship. By the way, nor do visas, so I hope we will have visa waiver for all EU citizens very soon.