Call for clarity on UK Europol opt-in
20 September 2016
The European Scrutiny Committee says that the decision whether on not to opt into the new Europol Regulation must be debated on the floor of the House before the Government notifies the EU institutions of its opt-in decisions.
- Read the report chapter
- Read the full report: Documents considered by the Committee on 14 September 2016
- European Scrutiny Committee
The Committee is concerned that it is unclear whether or not the UK will be able to continue its full participation in Europol while it remains a member of the EU unless it opts into the new Europol Regulation, which will apply from 1 May 2017.
The European Scrutiny Committee notes that the UK's withdrawal from the EU is likely to have significant implications for the UK's relationship with Europol and wider law enforcement cooperation with EU partners. On 5 September the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union told the House
"We want to maintain or even strengthen our co-operation on security and defence."
The Committee warns
"It is one thing for the Government to assert that such cooperation will continue once the UK has left the EU; it is quite another to explain how that objective can be delivered."
The Committee appreciates that it will take time to work through the legal and political complexities involved in establishing a new framework for cooperation once the UK has left the EU but asks the Minister to share his analysis of the options available to the UK.
Further information
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