Data protection rules, protecting the euro against counterfeiting, and protecting taxpayers’ money against fraud were the topics for European Union Justice and Home Affairs ministers when they met in Luxembourg on October 7 and 8. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling and Home Office security minister James Brokenshire attended for the UK; the European Commission was represented by Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner and Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs.
Reding presented her recent proposals for the creation of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to prosecute offences of fraud against the European Union’s budget and for reform of Eurojust, the EU’s judicial co-operation agency. There was support, in principle, from many member states (but not the UK) for the EPPO but less agreement on details. The Conservative-Lib Dem Coalition agreement confirms that the UK will not take part in the establishment of the EPPO.
A grumble among business crime partnerships and retail loss prevention officers: why catch and hand over to police eastern European persistent shop thieves, if they cannot be deported to their home country; or, even if they are, they can return?! Reding on this point said that free movement of EU citizens was one of the fundamental achievements of the EU. However, the commission noted that free movement rights were weakened by abuse and the commission would support member states in using existing EU tools to fight such abuse. These tools included sanctions, such as expulsion and re-entry bans in certain circumstances and with the appropriate safeguards. National authorities could also check whether an EU citizen had become an unreasonable burden, and if so could refuse residence. In short, EU rules allow for the prevention of abuses, but the EU has made plain that the basic principle of free movement is not for negotiation.
As for counterfeit euros, some 280,000 counterfeit euro banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in the second quarter of 2012. The euro and other currencies continue to be targeted by organised crime groups and since its introduction in 2002, counterfeiting of the euro has led to financial damage amounting to at least 500 million euros. Given the dismantling of illegal print-shops and mints in and outside the European Union., the current measures against counterfeiting are not enough, the EU says, and, seeks better protection of the euro at European level. Likewise the UK (not having the euro currency) has not opted in to a criminal law directive on counterfeiting the Euro (and other currencies, as counterfeiters forge other banknotes, such as the Serb dinar).
And as for data protection, the European Commission proposes a ‘one-stop shop’ for regulation. In other words, a Europe-wide data protection watchdog could oversee and enforce its rule across Europe, to make the law consistent. Almost all member states supported the idea of a one-stop shop in principle. However, they wanted to hear the detail. The Commission makes the point that each country’s data protection rules stands in the way of European businesses wanting to operate cross-border, and a Europe-wide regulation has been on the table for a couple of years. Reding said ahead of the meeting that data is today’s currency: “If we take into account that EU citizens’ data was valued at around 315 billion euros in 2011 and has the potential to grow to nearly one trillion euros a year in 2020, we can understand citizens’ and businesses’ high expectations about this reform. The one-stop shop is a key element of our reform and of simplifying the existing rules. It would cut red tape for businesses and ensure equal protection for EU citizens.”
