The Government has proposed the signing of a wide-ranging treaty
with the EU to provide a legal basis for future security
cooperation. Measures in which the Government has indicated it
wants to maintain and strengthen cooperation with the EU include
Europol, the European Arrest Warrant, and EU databases such as
the Second Generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) and
the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS).
The Home Affairs Committee in the last Parliament held a number
of oral evidence sessions to explore the impact of Brexit on EU
policing and security cooperation. The Committee in the current
Parliament has resumed this work as part of an overarching
inquiry into the challenges the Home Office faces in delivering
Brexit.
Terms of reference
Written evidence is invited on the issues set out below. Please
note that submissions do not need to address all of these issues.
- Implications of Brexit for UK law enforcement capabilities;
- Possible obstacles to achieving the Government’s aims in
relation to security cooperation with the EU, as laid out in
its future partnerships
paper;
- Implications of different transition or implementation models
for UK-EU security cooperation after 29 March 2019;
- Data protection issues related to EU security cooperation,
including implications of the UK Government’s security aims for
its future data protection regime;
- The bulk retention of communications data: the compliance of
the Government’s latest proposals with the EU Charter of
Fundamental Rights, and what this means for the UK’s future
surveillance powers; and
- Preparations for a ‘no deal’ scenario in security: necessary
preparatory activities, and alternative models for cooperation
and data-sharing with EU law enforcement agencies.
Please note that the Committee is focusing on areas of EU
cooperation commonly referred to as ‘internal security’, such as
activity to combat serious and organised crime, terrorism and
cyber-crime.
Submitting written evidence
The deadline for submissions is Friday 12
January 2018. Written evidence should be submitted
online via the dedicated evidence
portal on the Committee’s website
