Brussels, 09/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - As reported this weekend by the British media, Home Secretary Teresa May announced to the House of Commons, on Tuesday, London's plan to pull out of 133 European policies relating to justice and home affairs (see EUROPE 10883).
The United Kingdom, however, does aim to reintegrate 35 of those policies, including the European arrest warrant, Eurojust and Europol, an agency that London does not wish to leave. A vote on this opt-out could be held next week in parliament, the BBC reports.
The Lisbon Treaty allows the United Kingdom to make a choice by June 2014 on how timely it is to use its opt-out to repatriate some 130 justice and home affairs (JHA) policies before the treaty takes effect. Failing notification in this respect, the country would be compelled to fully apply the policies and accept, among other things, the full powers of the EU Court of Justice, several pro-British lobbies such as Open Europe explain. The home minister had already announced the government's plans to pull out of these JHA policies last autumn, but Viviane Reding's services had taken the view that it would be difficult for London - once it was out of the bloc - to select which policies it wanted. It would be necessary to deliver an opt-in notification to the Commission that would study its overall coherence and legitimacy. It would not be possible for the United Kingdom, however, to proceed to a mass opt-in, some sources say, as the minister seems to be suggesting. In a statement to the House of Commons, May explained that, for political reasons, and for reasons of principle and practicality, it is in the United Kingdom's national interest to join a far weaker series of measures to help it cooperate with its European neighbours in combating serious and organised crime. The effectiveness of certain policies, such as the European arrest warrant, is regularly challenged in Britain. (SP/transl.jl)