East Midlands’ Conservative MEPs oppose plans to hand immigration and justice policies to the EU

Emma McClarkin MEP and Roger Helmer MEP are extremely concerned by the EU’s Stockholm Programme. The Programme sets out justice and home affairs priorities until 2014 and would see decisions regarding immigration, civil law and justice policy shifted from national parliaments to Brussels, which the East Midlands’ Conservative MEPs believe are worrying moves for the country.



Mr Helmer and Miss McClarkin joined their colleagues in the European Conservatives and Reformists group and voted against the parliament’s report on the plans on 25th November.



Other MEPs voted for a hotchpotch wish list of ideas, including a common European asylum system, a European Judicial Academy, an EU criminal justice, more powers for Europol and Eurojust and a new scheme for civil‑law issues with cross‑border aspects in areas affecting family law, the rights of individuals and property law.

Mr Helmer said:



“MEPs have served notice on the national governments’ ability to decide criminal justice and immigration policy for themselves. As the European Parliament is set to take on new powers over these areas under the Lisbon Treaty, the report that they adopted today is extremely concerning.


“MEPs want to create compulsory solidarity between EU countries. Solidarity is important but forced, rather than volunteered, solidarity is surely a contradiction in terms. “



Miss McClarkin said:

“We believe in strong cooperation between governments and agencies, but ultimately it should be for our elected government to determine what constitutes a crime, how people should be punished and the criteria for allowing people to enter their countries . We will fight against moves to pass control of justice and home affairs policy to the EU.



”We already have serious concerns about how the British government has eroded our ancient liberties but at least we can vote them out of office. If these powers are handed over to the EU, we would undermine all our safeguards to fundamental freedoms.”