Ja! Stimmen

Following on from the excellent post by Raedwald on the EU's plans for a shared criminal database (which I've been following for fucking months but can't find my notes - anyway) I thought I'd allow you all to be a little pro active.

They fucking work for you and they're standing for re-election in June so make them work like a drill sergeant with a bunch of new recruits:

Vice Chairman of the committee:
Philip Bradbourn Tory West Mids: philip.bradbourn@europarl.europa.eu

Members:
Michael Cashman, Labour, West Mids: michael.cashman@europarl.europa.eu
Roger Knapman, who fucking knows, South West: roger.knapman@europarl.europa.eu (he'll vote against. I may not like him but he'll vote against it.)
Baroness Sarah Ludford, Lib Dem, London: sarah.ludford@europarl.europa.eu
Claude Moraes, Labour, London: claude.moraes@europarl.europa.eu

Substitutes:
Jean Lambert, Green, London: jean.lambert@europarl.europa.eu
Bill Newton-Dunn, Lib Dem, East Mids: bill.newtondunn@europarl.europa.eu
Charles Tannock, Tory, London: charles.tannock@europarl.europa.eu

If it gets through committee, expect it to reach the main floor of the European Parliament in late March.

Whilst we're over at this committee, let's take a quick peek at some of the work they're doing, blissfully unreported by the media.

It is a common understanding that the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter of Fundamental Rights) will make it possible for the European Union to become "...an area of freedom, security and justice (FSJA)with respect for fundamental rights and the different legal systems and traditions of the Member States...

The future legislative programme for the FSJA should promote measures in the field of police and judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, taking into account the principle of mutual recognition of judicial decisions which is included in the new Treaty, thus facilitating cross-border cooperation between Member States and aiming towards a future European criminal law...
The main problem encountered by Parliament, when exercising shared legislative
responsibilities with the Council in respect of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, will be access to relevant information in the Member States. By reason of the very sensitive issues dealt with as part of FSJA-related policies, it is more than necessary to implement as soon as possible the new Treaty provisions on transparency in the EU institutions and also to allow Parliamentary scrutiny of confidential information such as that dealt with by Europol, the EU Joint Situation Centre (SitCen) and the future Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI) (Article 71 TFEU). The new Article 15 TFEU, by extending the current right of access to Parliamentary, Commission and Council documents to all EU institutions and agencies (Article255 EC Treaty) will improve the accountability of the EU institutions, notably in these fields.

Looks to me like this report is all facilitated in the Lisbon Treaty which of course our delightful government and Liberal Democrats denied us a referendum on. An action for which everyone who wanted a referendum should remember and not vote for them again.

And when it comes to the future direction of the EU you'd have to be an arse not to work out where it's going. Or a complete cunt to know exactly where it's going and pretend you can do something about it.