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Abstract:
The third pillar of the European Union - Justice and Home Affairs - formalised the array of secret committees that had been established since the mid-1970s to co-ordinate the policies of the Member States on immigration, asylum, drugs and terrorism. The whole apparatus had developed without any legislative basis, yet the policies that were developed had fundamental implications for civil liberties and democratic rights.
Tony Bunyan has analysed the emergence of this secret system and attempted to counter it both by exposure and by a campaign to procure relevant documents in accordance with the EU's commitment to openness. In this text he combines his knowledge with a personal involvement in the issues arising from his dual roles as a journalist specialising in justice and home affairs in the EU and editor of the Statewatch bulletin and Statewatch European Monitor. The Statewatch group monitors the decisions taken by the Justice and Home Affairs Council and the effect these have on the rights of citizens, refugees and asylum-seekers. The author details test cases involving the Guardian newspaper, the Statewatch group and the Swedish Journalists' Union. He then examines changes in the practice on access and the Amsterdam Treaty and forthcoming battles against those who wish to use the new 'Amsterdam' rules to roll back openness.
The publications in the European Dossier series, started in 1989, present accessible analyses of EU policies, institutions and related themes. Concise yet comprehensive, they are commissioned by the London European Research Centre, University of North London. The European Dossiers are a useful resource for teachers and an invaluable source of information for anyone with an interest in the EU. Issued five times per year, the Dossiers are published by Kogan Page in association with the London European Research Centre.
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