UK government’s opt-in to trafficking directive welcomed by East Midlands MEP Emma McClarkin

East Midlands MEP Emma McClarkin has today welcomed the UK government’s decision to opt-in to an EU directive aimed at combating human trafficking after the UK government was able to successfully negotiate significant changes that will encourage cross-border cooperation without giving other EU countries powers to interfere in our domestic criminal justice matters.

The UK government must indicate whether it will opt-in or out at both the start and the end of negotiations on Justice and Home Affairs matters. When this proposal was initially tabled last Summer the UK government rightly chose to opt-out but to intensively negotiate in order to refocus the directive on cooperation to improve prevention of trafficking, rather than harmonise penalties and give other EU countries extra-territorial jurisdiction in the UK.

Following the UK’s successful negotiations, the European Parliament voted on the proposals last December and Conservative MEPs supported the redrafted directive. Subsequently, the UK government has now announced that it can opt-in.

Following the news, Emma commented:

“In the 21st century, it is simply abominable that slavery still exists on our Continent.

“The UK government correctly weighed up the proposals at the start of negotiations and it was right to say that the directive focused far too much on handing powers over to Brussels, rather than encouraging cooperation between governments and with EU agencies.

“Our government did not sit on the sidelines as the previous government did. It got stuck in and negotiated a good deal for Britain and an effective directive that will prevent people trafficking. By opting out in the beginning, we had a much stronger negotiating position that if we had opted-in because other EU countries want and need the UK to be a part of this directive.”