| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.11, No.27, 14.7.05 |
| Publication Date | 14/07/2005 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 14/07/05 EU justice and interior ministers have vowed to reach a swift agreement on the main points of a plan for storing details on all phone, fax and email communications as part of their response to last Thursday's (7 July) bomb attacks in London. At an emergency meeting yesterday (13 July), the ministers agreed to accelerate work on implementing the plan of action on terrorism drawn up after last year's train bombings in Madrid. The London atrocities have given new impetus to proposals on obliging telecommunications firms to retain data, possibly for a period of up to three years. After the identification of London's suicide bombers earlier this week, British investigators will be examining phone and email records as they try to trace who might have co-ordinated their deadly work. The UK has long been arguing the merits of common data retention rules. Along with France, Ireland and Sweden, it backed a previous proposal to introduce data retention. But that attempt to initiate legislation in the Council of Ministers was ruled illegal by lawyers advising both the European Commission and Council. The legal advice is that the measure should be introduced as an internal market measure for the telecoms market, which would have to be initiated by the Commission. The Commission plans to put forward its proposal on the matter only in September. UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he hoped for an agreement by October. The earlier proposal from the Council met stiff criticism from telecoms firms, fearing the cost, police organisations, which warned it would be unwieldy, and civil libertarians, who regarded it as too intrusive. José Manuel Barroso, the Commission president, said he wanted to bring forward suggestions that were proportionate to the risk of terrorism and based on solid legal grounds. "It is obvious that data retention is a crucial instrument in the fight against terrorism," he said. "It is also obvious that it raises privacy concerns and that it would have costs for industry." But Peter Hustinx, the European data protection supervisor, this week cast doubt on the effectiveness of a far-reaching data retention scheme. The likelihood of such a scheme preventing the London attacks, he added, was "slim". Ministers also resolved to:
and,
According to Clarke, the claim had "no foundation". France yesterday reimposed border controls with its EU neighbours in response to the threat of attacks after the London bombings. Sarkozy also suggested that mosques should be placed under surveillance to detect Islamic extremists. While Clarke said that measures are being considered in the UK directed at certain preachers, he added that it was important to work in tandem with "the legitimate mainstream Muslim community" as part of a strategy to prevent young Muslims turning to violence. At an emergency meeting 13 July 2005, EU Ministers for Justice and Interior affairs agreed to accelerate work on implementing the plan of action on terrorism drawn up after last year's train bombings in Madrid. The extraordinary Council meeting had been convened following the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July 2005. Ministers agreed to aim for a speedy introduction of a data retention scheme, obliging telecommunications firms to retain data for a certain period of time. After an interinstitutional dispute it had already been established that the right to initiate such legislation lies with the European Commission. Ministers also agreed on the introduction of a European evidence warrant, rules to counter the financing of terrorism and a European programme on protecting 'critical infrastructure'. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Security and Defence |
