| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.28, 29.7.04 |
| Publication Date | 29/07/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 29/07/04 CUTBACKS in the budget of the EU's judicial cooperation agency could have negative consequences for sharing sensitive information on terrorism between member states, the head of Eurojust has warned. Mike Kennedy told European Voice that one of Eurojust's top priorities - the development of a computer system for sharing information on terrorism, modeled on Italy's Epoc, a database devoted to the clampdown on the mafia - is jeopardized by cash restrictions. The Hague-based Eurojust requested a budget of €13.5 million for 2005 from member states and the European Parliament but it has been granted €11m. Kennedy said that lack of cash could leave Eurojust unable to realize its goal of having the database fully operational in 2006. The former chief crown prosecutor for Sussex in England also admitted that overlapping responsibilities have hindered cooperation between Eurojust and anti-fraud office OLAF. His admission follows a report which claims that "cooperation is hampered by suspicion and antagonism, to the detriment of effective action against fraud". Published by the European Union committee in the UK House of Lord, the report says the relationship between Eurojust and OLAF is "less than rosy". Kennedy said that although Eurojust was ideally placed to address OLAF's concerns that its investigations tended not to lead to prosecutions in member states, this had not happened in practice. He said: "When we were introduced as a provisional unit in March 2001, we were very much the new kid on the block. There was an overlap at least slightly with some of OLAF's responsibilities. Since then we have developed good relations between the national members of Eurojust and OLAF. So it is a case of translating good personal relations into good organizational relations." He explained that the two bodies were trying to remove "friction points". But he took issue with an assertion in the report that Eurojust is "not sufficiently skilled" to deal with customs and VAT fraud. In OLAF's view, such work goes beyond judicial cooperation and into the realm of liaison between fiscal and customs authorities. Kennedy challenged this, pointing out that member states' representatives on Eurojust have expertise in such diverse areas as customs and excise, terrorism and drug trafficking. OLAF spokesman Alessandro Butticé said a memorandum of understanding signed between the two bodies last year "has contributed to a lot of fruitful cooperation". "Representatives of the two bodies inform each other mutually about the dossiers which might be relevant for the other one," he said. Report of comments from Mike Kennedy, head of Eurojust. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs, Security and Defence |
