§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on changes planned for the Grotius Programme in the course of the Treaty of Amsterdam. [138083]
§ Mrs. RocheThe Grotius programme, which is concerned with incentives and exchanges for legal practitioners, runs from 1996–2000. Following the Treaty of Amsterdam, which provided for judicial co-operation in the field of civil law to take place under the Treaty establishing the European Community and for judicial co-operation in the field of criminal law to take place under the Treaty on European Union, it will be necessary to split the Grotius programme in future. The Commission has proposed the extension of the Grotius programme in the area of civil law for the period of one year only, to enable consideration of its future and its relationship with other programmes, notably the Robert Schuman programme. In the area of criminal law, the Commission has indicated that it is considering proposing the extension of the Grotius programme for a period of two years.