Committee seeks urgent update on progress of UK-EU security negotiations
15 May 2020
The Chair of the EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee, Lord Ricketts, has written to the Home Secretary asking her to meet with the Committee to provide an update on the progress of the UK-EU future relationship negotiations in respect of key justice and security matters.
- Letter dated 14 May 2020 from Lord Ricketts, Chair of EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee to the Rt Hon Priti Patel, Home Secretary
- EU Security and Justice Sub-Committee
The UK has cooperated closely with its EU partners across a wide range of security and justice instruments to help protect the safety of the citizens of all countries involved. For example, in 2019 UK law enforcement officers accessed the Schengen Information System (SIS II), a database of 'real-time' alerts about individuals and objects of interest to EU law enforcement officers, 603 million times.
However, if there is no agreement by the end of the transition period on how this close collaboration should continue, the UK will have to fall back on less effective alternative measures.
The Committee is therefore seeking an urgent update from the Home Secretary on the progress of the negotiations and an explanation of the measures in place to mitigate the consequences of no deal on these vital issues.