Support Our Work Mailing list About / Contact
  • Home /
  • News /
  • 2008 /
  • August /
  • EU: Future Group report proposes creation of an EU-USA Area of cooperation for "freedom, security and justice"

EU: Future Group report proposes creation of an EU-USA Area of cooperation for "freedom, security and justice"

01 August 2008

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

Secret report by the Future Group on new five year plan for "European Home Affairs" proposes creation of an EU-USA Area of cooperation for "freedom, security and justice" (justice and home affairs): Future Report: Freedom, Security, Privacy – European Home Affairs in an open world (full-text, pdf)

"By 2014 the European Union should make up its mind with regard to the political objective to realise a Euro-Atlantic area of cooperation in the field of freedom, security and justice with the United States."

Contrary to some press reports (see below) the proposed Area of EU-USA JHA cooperation would not just cover terrorism and passenger data but would cover the whole area of justice and home affairs - policing, immigration, sharing database data and biometrics and harmonising laws.

Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor, comments:

"All the evidence from dozens of high-level EU-USA meetings on justice and home affairs since 11 September 2001 shows that it is a one-way street with the EU trying to fend off USA demands. When the EU does not cave in the USA simply negotiates bilateral deals with individual member states.

A permanent EU-USA pact would be disastrous for privacy and civil liberties."

See:
- Secret EU security draft risks uproar with call to pool policing and give US personal data (Guardian, link)
- EU plan: The rise and rise of the securocrats (Daily Telegraph, link)
- Interesting background: Bush letter to the EU, 16 October 2001

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 Previous article

tyrt

Next article 

Italy: European Race Bulletin on Italian general election

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error

Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.

About | Contact | Privacy Policy