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| Britain |
| 'Line in the sand' drawn as UK Government exercises EU 'opt out' from Lisbon Treaty |
| 2012-06-14 |
| Britain has opted out of new EU directive on confiscating criminal assets in move described as drawing 'a line in the sand' on interference from Brussels. Dominic Raab MP, a leading Tory backbencher, said: 'Ministers have drawn an important line in the sand, refusing to give up democratic control over asset freezing because it is not in the British national interest.' Home Office minister James Brokenshire told MPs that Britain would not accept the proceeds of crime directive because it could undermine domestic rules. Under the Lisbon treaty, which was formally agreed in December 2009, the UK won the right to opt in or out of any law and order policies by 2014. The Government's decision to use the opt out is the first time that ministers have used it on one of the 130 new EU measures that the UK must accept or reject by 2014. In February more than 100 Tory MPs challenged the Prime Minister to take a stand against Europe and particularly the 130 possible opt outs in the Lisbon Treaty. In the letter to The Daily Telegraph, signed by two former cabinet ministers and several committee chairmen, the MPs warned that if David Cameron failed to act the transfer of powers to Europe will become irreversible. Mr Brokenshire told MPs Britain has extensive, effective laws governing seizures from organised criminal gangs - much of it on a civil, not criminal, footing. Mr Brokenshire said Britain would continue to negotiate to try and improve the directive, which he said would be benefit some parts of Europe. The directive would have created the power to freeze assets without a court order using criminal law, opening the door to legal challenges, Mr Brokenshire said. He added that "if criminal law procedural protections and a criminal law standard proof were introduced... our law enforcement agencies would find it harder to disrupt the workings of some of the most dangerous organised criminals". During the debate, Eurosceptic Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg MP said introducing the directive would mean all policies to confiscate assets and tackle money laundering would be dictated by Brussels. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #2 The sooner they get out the better. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2012-06-14 13:05 |
| #1 I hope the UK will recover its sovereignty from the collapsed wreckage of the EU. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2012-06-14 08:32 |