By Bruno Waterfield - 7th September 2005
EU justice ministers will today attempt to reach agreement on European e-surveillance measures.
The British EU presidency is hosting the informal council of justice ministers in Newcastle to get to grips with Europe’s war on terror following July terror attacks on London.
Europe’s interior ministers will first hear of the threat posed to the EU after July bomb attacks on London and a European terror scare.
Later in the morning, the EU presidency and European Commission will kick off a political debate on Europe’s strategy to fight terrorism.
Talks will include controversial UK calls to reset the ‘balance’ between civil liberties and security measures.
Key will be moves to communicate the fight against terrorism, to allay public fears that the EU, or national governments are not doing enough to counter-terrorism.
The European Commission and many national capitals are convinced that moves to combat Europe's terror threat are a potent way of selling the EU to citizens.
Key questions over human rights interpretation, the EU versus inter-governmental cooperation methods are regarded as critical to gaining and keeping Europe’s consensus on counter-terrorism.
The brain-storming meeting will then move to a concrete measure as the UK is pushes hard for new EU legislation allowing security agencies access to mobile phone and internet communication records.
Divisions have emerged between national governments, the European Commission and MEPs over the legal basis for the proposal and the need for civil liberties safeguards to the measure.
Clarke will be pushing hard to fast track the legislation, which requires mobile phone operators or internet service providers to retain and make available communications data.
Germany and Finland are leading opposition on cost and privacy grounds and unless political agreement can be found an October deadline for the measures may not be met.
European Security Commissioner Franco Frattini is set to unveil detailed proposals on September 21 after EU wrangling over the scope and legal basis for the measure.
In Newcastle, he present a new Brussels costing of data retention that are many times lower than some industry and campaigners pricings of the measure.
Workshops after lunch will focus on greater European cooperation to tackle organised crime – key debates will be on intelligence sharing.
Ministers will also discuss moves to greater civil judicial cooperation in Europe, in areas such as divorce, alimony, marriage, and homosexual partnerships, child protection and probate.
Separate legal traditions and divisions between member states seeking EU common standards and those seeking ‘mutual recognition’ of different approaches will be central to discussions.
Thursday’s agenda
- 9.00am: Counter terrorism – threat and operations
- 10.30am: Counter terrorism – EU strategic framework
- 11.45am: Retention of communications data
- 2.00pm: Workshops
Current issues in civil judicial co-operation
Organised crime:
- Intelligence led policing and European criminal intelligence
- Human Trafficking
- High-tech and internet crime
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.