Statewatch has today published a damning critique of crucial EU proposals on suspects' rights in cross-border criminal proceedings, data protection in the area of police and judicial cooperation, and the expulsion of migrants from the EU.
Four detailed Statewatch analyses of the draft EU measures show the extent to which powerful member states are driving down standards of human rights protection in the creation of the so-called EU "Area of Freedom, Security and Justice".
Two of these measures - suspects' rights and data protection - will be discussed by the Member States at this week's Justice and Home Affairs Council (19-20 April 2007).
The analyses were prepared for Statewatch by Professor Steve Peers (Human Rights Centre, University of Essex) and Frances Webber (Barrister, Garden Court Chambers).
Professor Peers comments:
"On March 1, 2007, the EU's new Fundamental Rights Agency officially began operations. Due to the insistence of the UK and several allies, the Agency has no competence to deal with the issues of policing and criminal law.
But even if the Agency had such competence, would it make a difference? The powers of the agency are limited anyway. More importantly, the EU's human rights record as regards legislation on the issues of policing, criminal law, immigration and asylum is so poor, and becoming rapidly so much worse, that is hard to imagine that political gestures such as the creation of this Agency could have a significant impact".
The full-text of the press release, the four Statewatch analyses and relevant EU documentation are available on:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/apr/06humanrights.htm
STATEWATCH
monitoring the state & civil liberties in Europe
http://www.statewatch.org
tel: +44-20-8802-1882
fax: +44-20-8880-1727
post: PO Box 1516, London, N16 0EW, UK
Four detailed Statewatch analyses of the draft EU measures show the extent to which powerful member states are driving down standards of human rights protection in the creation of the so-called EU "Area of Freedom, Security and Justice".
Two of these measures - suspects' rights and data protection - will be discussed by the Member States at this week's Justice and Home Affairs Council (19-20 April 2007).
The analyses were prepared for Statewatch by Professor Steve Peers (Human Rights Centre, University of Essex) and Frances Webber (Barrister, Garden Court Chambers).
Professor Peers comments:
"On March 1, 2007, the EU's new Fundamental Rights Agency officially began operations. Due to the insistence of the UK and several allies, the Agency has no competence to deal with the issues of policing and criminal law.
But even if the Agency had such competence, would it make a difference? The powers of the agency are limited anyway. More importantly, the EU's human rights record as regards legislation on the issues of policing, criminal law, immigration and asylum is so poor, and becoming rapidly so much worse, that is hard to imagine that political gestures such as the creation of this Agency could have a significant impact".
The full-text of the press release, the four Statewatch analyses and relevant EU documentation are available on:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2007/apr/06humanrights.htm
STATEWATCH
monitoring the state & civil liberties in Europe
http://www.statewatch.org
tel: +44-20-8802-1882
fax: +44-20-8880-1727
post: PO Box 1516, London, N16 0EW, UK