§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has received concerning the extension of the powers and duties of EUROPOL; what consultations he has initiated and with which bodies on these matters; and if he will make a statement. [3930]
§ Mr. MichaelEUROPOL will be a central body in the European Union for the exchange and analysis of intelligence on serious and organised trans-national crime. Its powers and duties are set out in the EUROPOL Convention, which is currently subject to ratification in member states. There have been no formal proposals to amend the Convention.
10WThere has been discussion of EUROPOL' s powers and duties in the High Level Group on Organised Crime, which was set up following the Dublin European Council in December 1996, and in the current Intergovernmental Conference. The majority of member states, including the United Kingdom, do not believe that EUROPOL should have executive powers but should support investigations and operations conducted by national law enforcement agencies. Any proposal to amend the EUROPOL Convention in this respect would be subject to a unanimous decision of the Council and to ratification in member states.
The Home Office maintains close contact with other Government Departments and operational law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom on all 11W EUROPOL related matters. In addition, all significant documents to be submitted to the Council which concern EUROPOL are submitted in advance for scrutiny to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities, the House of Commons Select Committee on European Legislation and the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee.