Brussels, 23/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - Last week the European Parliament approved the proposals to extend the competencies of Europol, to regulate trade in data between Europol and third countries and to form joint investigation teams. The MEPs, which are only consulted on these proposals, suggested a few amendments.
The EP uses the Turco report on the extension of Europol's competencies to call upon the Commission to undertake, by the end of the year, a proposal for a global reform of the judicial and police co-operation instruments, which includes the revision of the Europol convention and must lean towards progressively bringing these instruments into the Community sphere of influence, and towards the jurisdictional strengthening of the Court of Justice and the financing of these instruments through the Community budget. The report also insists on the importance of determining the priorities for the activities of Europol, and calls to be consulted over these priorities. During the debate, Maurizio Turco (Lista Bonino) particularly insisted over the need for a jurisdictional control by the Court of Justice over Europol. He called to heal this wound on the European democratic system, while underlining that the EP had already formulated this request five years ago in a report by the CDU member Harmut Nassauer. Moreover, Maurizo Turco protested against the fact that Europol civil servants practically enjoy, according to him, a "wide ranging impunity".
In the Kirkhope report on the formation of joint investigation teams between the Member States, the EP was informed of the formations and the work of these teams, notably in the annual debate on Justice Europe. Timothy Kirkhope (British Conservative) noted that the creation of mixed investigation teams would enable to combine the talents and ability that exist in the various Member States (he cited as an example the fight that could be undertaken by teams from the United Kingdom and Italy - two member countries that know such cases - against the trafficking of children from third countries, which are exploited in Europe), and insisted on the need for these teams to rigorously respect human rights.