Commission set to give MEPs chance to rewrite legislation

Parliament could increase civil liberties protection and Schengen and data-sharing rules set to be revised.

The European Commission is planning to replace 11 current proposals for EU legislation with new texts, so that the European Parliament can exercise its new powers given by the Lisbon treaty.

The proposals cover the fields of criminal justice and law enforcement co-operation, where previously the MEPs could express their opinion but had no powers to modify the legal texts.

The Lisbon treaty will come into effect on 1 December, giving the Parliament greater powers compared to the existing Nice treaty.

Among the pieces of legislation are: a European system for collecting and sharing airline passenger records; issues relating to the Schengen free travel zone – including admitting Liechtenstein, evaluation of Schengen rules and management of Schengen data; the rights of defendants before trials – including the right to translation and interpretation; action to combat sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking.

The list features in a document drawn up by the Commission that details the outstanding legislative proposals that are affected by the change from Nice treaty to Lisbon treaty rules.

Some of the proposals were made as long ago as 2004, but the Council of Ministers and MEPs have not yet completed their legislative deliberations.

Passenger data

Plans to set up a European system for collecting and sharing airline passenger data have been held up because MEPs wanted to negotiate the file under Lisbon treaty rules so that they could ensure the maximum level of data protection.

In most of the subject areas, MEPs have until now taken a position defending civil liberties, while EU governments have given a higher priority to security concerns and the need for effective law enforcement.

Andrew Duff, a UK Liberal MEP, said many people had not yet understood the importance of the impact on criminal justice and police co-operation issues of the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty.

He said: “This is a good illustration of the importance of the treaty.” Duff said that he hoped that the Commission would take the opportunity when presenting its new proposals to rethink the content as well.

The Commission is likely to present the new proposals after the new administration takes office, which is expected to be on 1 February 2010.

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