NEWS RELEASE
From the office of the Green MEPs

9 September, 2002

EU-US CRIME TALKS THREATEN DEATH PENALTY SAFEGUARDS

PUT HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST IN SECRET DEAL, MEP TELLS BLUNKETT

SECRET negotiations on allowing US investigators greater access to criminal suspects in Europe could weaken human rights protection across the EU, London's Green Party MEP Jean Lambert has warned.

A proposed co-operation agreement with the US to be discussed by EU home secretaries meeting in Copenhagen on Friday (September 13) could allow suspects to be tried twice for the same crime, contravene existing data protection legislation and even erode Europe's absolute ban on the death penalty, Mrs Lambert told home secretary David Blunkett.

"The proposed co-operation agreement will not only weaken human rights protection across Europe, it will do so without any public discussion or parliamentary scrutiny, at either the European or the domestic level," Mrs Lambert said.

"The agreement started out, understandably, with the aim of combating terrorism. In the meantime it has evolved - behind closed doors - into a far broader proposal covering criminal investigations in general."

In a letter to the Home Secretary Mrs Lambert expressed her concern at the proposals and called for Mr Blunkett to bring the negotiations out into the open.

She warned Mr Blunkett the agreement lacks safeguards in three vital
areas:

"The EU negotiating team is apparently failing to insist on these key issues of concern to Europeans and glossing over the potential points of disagreement with the US," Mrs Lambert told the Home Secretary.

"I urge you on behalf of the UK to raise these problems with your European counterparts and ensure the necessary safeguards are introduced."


ENDS