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

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