§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those powers of Europol whose extension is under discussion; and what is his policy in respect of them. [115620]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeAt the European Council held in Tampere in October 1999, it was agreed that Europol's powers should be extended to cover money laundering in general, regardless of the type of offence from which the laundered proceeds originate. The Government welcome this proposal.
It was also agreed at Tampere that arrangements for the setting up of joint investigation teams, as envisaged in Article 30(2) of the Treaty of Amsterdam, should be put in place without delay, as a first step to combat trafficking in drugs and human beings as well as terrorism. The arrangements should allow representatives of Europol to participate, as appropriate, in the joint teams in a support capacity. It is not envisaged that Europol's mandate will need to be extended to give effect to this conclusion.
There are no other current proposals to extend Europol's powers.