Newcastle hosts EU security summit
European justice and home affairs ministers are meeting in Newcastle today for a two-day informal summit on tackling terrorism.
Home secretary Charles Clarke will be pressing the government’s case for greater data sharing across the EU, including the standardisation of legislation on keeping mobile phone records and using biometric data on passports and identity cards.
Mr Clarke set out his proposals in a speech to MEPs in Strasbourg yesterday, where he called on member states to work together to ensure their collective security in the face of the threats of terrorism and organised crime.
He also urged EU governments to consider amending the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) where it proved an obstacle to deporting foreign nationals whose presence was ‘not in the national interest’.
In the lively debate that followed, a number of MEPs spoke out against the proposals, stressing that civil liberties must not be compromised.
Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal Democrat MEPs, welcomed plans to strengthen security but insisted that suspending the rights of terrorists to a free trial would lead to the “justice of High Noon”.
“I disagree when Charles Clarke says that the human rights of the victims are more important than those of the terrorists. Human rights are indivisible,” he said.
He continued: “The state is the main protector of security and liberty. The EU must guarantee both proportionately. If you follow that route, you will have our support.”
Mr Watson’s comments were echoed by Green MEP Jean Lambert, who said that if the EU were to alter civil liberties because of terrorism, then terrorists had already won part of the battle.
But Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the Conservative MEPs, condemned Mr Watson’s comments as “sanctimonious twaddle”, saying the balance of civil rights and public protection must be reviewed.
The true test for Mr Clarke, however, will come today and tomorrow when he tries to persuade ministers from all 25 member states, as well as Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania, to adopt his proposals.
Debate over whether to force mobile phone companies to retain data for at least a year are likely to be high on the agenda, with Mr Clarke insisting that such information is vital for terrorists to be tracked across the EU.
He is likely to face opposition from many sides, however – Finland is worried about the cost, Germany about the need to log unsuccessful calls and the Netherlands about the invasion of privacy.
