House of Lords Select Committee on European Union

This author's articles

• EUROPOL: Coordinating the fight against serious and organised crime

  19 November 2008
  Europol, the European Police Office responsible for coordinating the fight against serious and organised crime, began operations from its headquarters in The Hague in 1999. In January 2010 it will become an agency of the EU. The Council Decision bringing about this change in its constitution has made some amendments to its objects, powers, working methods and governance.

• Evidence from the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany on the German Presidency

  18 June 2007
  The House of Lords cross examined the German Presidency on the Future of Europe in February 2007. Among the first questions were some on the role of national parliaments and the Constitution.

• Lords EU Committee Raise Concerns Over Passenger Name Record Agreement With US

  13 June 2007
  The House of Lords European Union Committee have today set out their criteria for a new EU/US Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement. They argue that the collection of data should not go beyond that needed in the fight against terrorism.

• Prüm: an effective weapon against terrorism and crime?

  21 May 2007
  The Committee’s main criticism centres on the perception that the German Presidency is circumventing established EU procedures in its attempt to incorporate the Treaty into EU law. In particular, there has been a failure to allow other Member States and the European Parliament proper opportunity to consider the proposal. It is also noted that the Treaty contains provisions on data protection which are intended to supplement a general Data Protection Framework Decision. The problems lie in the fact that the EU Framework Decision has yet to be agreed.

• 9th Report of Session 2006–07 : Schengen Information System II (SIS II)

  5 March 2007
  The Schengen Information System (SIS) is an EU-wide system for the collection and exchange of information relating to immigration, policing and criminal law, for the purposes of law enforcement and immigration control. The System raises fundamental questions concerning the relationship between, on the one hand, the operational effectiveness of immigration control and public security by law enforcement authorities, and on the other hand the protection of civil liberties. It is against this potential conflict that the U.K. House of Lords European Union Committee has examined the working of the SIS, and its planned development into a second-generation system, known as SIS II.

• Illegal Migrants: Proposals for a common EU returns policy report with evidence 32nd report of session 2005-06

  16 May 2006
  The Committee’s report examines the European Commission’s proposal for an EU Directive to establish common standards and procedures in Member States for dealing with the return of illegal migrants. Issues considered include: voluntary return and enforced removal, periods and conditions of detention, return of unaccompanied children, judicial supervision, and the Article 9 provisions for a ban on re-entry to any EU member state. Findings include: support for the principle of a common EU policy for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals, although it is questionable whether the EU should proceed with this before a common policy governing admissions is in place; the current proposal is right to give primacy to voluntary return, with forcible removal only used as an alternative when all opportunities for voluntary return have been exhausted.

• Examination of Witnesses 13 July 2005 (2)

  16 May 2006
  Our research activities fall mainly within the framework of a research project which is funded by DG Research of the European Commission and is named Challenge - Changing the landscape of European liberty and security. This is composed of a network of 21 universities analysing and assessing issues not only of justice and home affairs policies but, also, bringing the element of Common Foreign and Security Policy into the whole discussion on the current merging of internal and external security after the events of 11 September and the 11 March. At the moment, we are preparing our working document dealing specifically with the Green Paper on economic migration.

• Examination of Witnesses 13 July 2005

  16 May 2006
  Examination of Witnesses 13 July 2005. Professor Andrew Geddes of Shefield University is questioned by the Select Committee on economic migration and ’Fortress Europe’. Quota, integration, gender issues and rights are discussed.