EU: The European Commission is to ask member states to lift their right to national vetoes on laws it proposes in the sensitive area of criminal justice matters.
If all 25 EU states agree to the proposal, the commission would be empowered to initiate legislation on cross-border policing and judicial co-operation in criminal matters which would then be voted on by qualified majority rather than unanimity.
European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said the plan would mean that a large number of decisions in the areas of justice, freedom and security could "be dealt with more effectively at European level than at national level". European citizens in opinion polls want better laws on crime, he added during a speech in Lisbon. "People are asking for 'more Europe' in order to combat terrorism and organised crime. It is our duty to respond to this appeal, with or without a constitution," he said.
The commission said the proposal would be included in a wider plan to be unveiled tomorrow on how Europe should proceed following the referendum defeats on the EU constitutional treaty in France and the Netherlands last year.
France separately put forward the notion last month of shifting policy areas such as police and judicial co-operation towards the competence of the EU and away from the national veto. Since then Finland, which takes over as president of the EU in July, announced it also wanted to see this shift occur. Significantly the UK said it would consider lifting its veto on EU laws in this area.
A spokesman for the Government said they believed the commission proposal would involve lifting the veto on a case-by-case basis but that they awaited the full proposal before giving an opinion on it.
However, Ireland is not expected to be supportive of the notion of giving powers to the EU in this area considering the Government voted against a commission plan on data retention earlier this year on the grounds that it was a matter for national states not the EU. Other member states, including Denmark, are also expected to oppose the plan and only last month a proposal for enhanced police co-operation was shelved at an EU justice ministers meeting.
The commission yesterday said the proposal to take on competences in policing and judicial matters was not about "cherry-picking" from the stalled constitution but was a way of finding "common answers to common problems". "It is about making the most of existing treaties, this idea is foreseen in existing treaties," a spokesman said.