EU Governments Fail On Justice Promises - Ludford

9.36.25am GMT Tue 12th Jun 2007

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokeswoman, has condemned the expected declaration of failure of the UK Home Secretary and his counterparts at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting tomorrow (June 12th-13th) to agree after 3 years of argument on a measure to ensure that suspects' and defendants' rights are protected EU-wide by concrete safeguards.

She said:

"It is scandalous that EU states, deploying the national veto, are unable to agree even on minimalist defence protections like information on rights and access to a lawyer and interpreter as an accompaniment to prosecution instruments like the European Arrest Warrant (EAW).

"While the EAW has proved its worth, it is a breach of promise to fail to remedy concerns about unfair treatment for suspects in weaker states which are undermining trust in European cross-border crime cooperation.

"It is inexplicable that some Member States, with the UK in the lead, see EU-wide safeguards as a major threat to sovereignty. All the lofty talk about constructing a European zone of freedom, security and justice is just so much hot air if rights end at borders."

Note to editors:

The proposal for a Framework Decision on procedural rights in criminal proceedings was put forward by the European Commission in 2004 and Baroness Ludford, a patron of the NGO Fair Trials Abroad, has consistently championed it. She was directly involved in the case of the British plane spotters in Greece, seeing first-hand their lack of legal aid and proper interpretation at their appeal in Kalamata, and has also taken up many other cases. She has put questions to the EU Council and to Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith. Last week, she tabled the following question to the Council for oral answer in July.

"Is the Council proud of having been unable to agree to a measure on legal rights for suspects and defendants throughout the European Union (the proposed Framework Decision on procedural rights in criminal proceedings)? What signal does it send to the EU's partners that the 27 Member States are unable to agree on safeguards to ensure fair treatment and trial, in a measure conceived as an essential and promised

accompaniment to the European Arrest Warrant? How does this strengthen the EU's voice supporting human rights in the world? What action will the Portuguese Presidency take to revive this much needed instrument?"