Robert Oulds

The EU are using the opportunity of the disasters in the USA to impose their long desired extradition, judicial and policing package. These proposals are of equal constitutional importance as the Euro and represent a challenge to our sovereign independence. These measures are also a direct threat to civil liberties.

The package, which has been erroneously described as ‘closing loopholes’ will in fact remove the elementary safeguards of any extradition policy. These so-called 'loopholes' are:

1) The need for the national authority issuing the request to produce a prima facie case against the accused.
2) The need for dual criminality - if a country demands an extradition it has to be for a crime which is an offence in the nation that receives that request.
3) Suspects can only be prosecuted for the specific offences for which they have been extradited.
4) There can be no extradition for political offences.

These are the 'loopholes' that the EU wishes to close. What is worse is that foreign Police and Judiciary from alien legal systems will have Jurisdiction over British citizens who will have no recourse to the Courts in Britain or the Police. This potential fait accompli that the European Commission are trying to impose across the EU goes even further. It is proposed that Europol will be transformed into a body resembling a mix of the FBI and CIA, however, this organisation will be completely unaccountable. Europol will also have prevalence over our own security services, which will be relegated to information gathering for this new hybrid organisation.

This is an issue which needs serious opposition before Tony Blair hands over authority over law and order to an organisation that can not be restrained by our own government.

Not even the Americans are proposing subverting their own constitution with such measures.