Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-03-Speech-2-040"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030603.2.2-040"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the agreements under discussion today are important and positive, as already pointed out by both the Commissioner and Mr Hernández Mollar, who has produced an excellent report on this matter on behalf of the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs. As has already been mentioned, this is the first time that extradition and legal cooperation agreements have been concluded between the European Union and a third country. Closer cooperation between the United States and the European Union is also to be welcomed, since this will make the fight against international crime more effective, as well as providing appropriate protection for our democratic societies, our common values and our citizens.
I add my voice to those critical of the secrecy surrounding the negotiations, and of the Council’s attempt to classify the text of the agreements as confidential, thus excluding Parliament. This attitude is incomprehensible, since we are dealing with something which is going to have a direct impact on the fundamental rights of our citizens. Fortunately, the Council reconsidered this absurd and unacceptable classification.
Overall, we support the two agreements before us, but there are certain aspects which it is essential to safeguard. Firstly, the treatment received by the United States in relation to the European arrest warrant must never be the same as the treatment given to Member States of the European Union, since the US is subject neither to Community law, nor to the Convention on Human Rights, nor even to European data protection legislation. Secondly, any request for execution of a European arrest warrant or for attendance at the International Criminal Court should take precedence over requests for extradition to the United States. Thirdly, there should be a guarantee that extradition to the United States cannot take place if the defendant could be sentenced to death, or tried in exceptional or military tribunals. Fourthly, there should be an explicit reference to Article 6(1) of the Treaty on European Union, as well as to the European Charter on Fundamental Rights. Fifthly, a demand for effective and proportionate data protection provisions, to guarantee, at the very least, the same level of protection as that provided by the Council of Europe Convention.
I hope the necessary guarantees will be made in these areas when the agreements are signed at the European Union-United States Summit on 25 June."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples