Duff welcomes House of Lords Support for EU Charter

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 29th May 2000

Andrew Duff MEP, Constitutional Affairs Spokesman of the European Liberal Democrats, has warmly welcomed the decision by the House of Lords to back the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

After an exhaustive inquiry, the European Union Select Committee of the British upper chamber has warned that the UK government risks seeming 'extremely negative' towards the proposal to enhance the protection of fundamental rights within the Union.

In its report published on 24 May, the influential, cross-party committee of peers concludes both that there are 'significant gaps' in the present level of protection of fundamental rights within the EU, and that the Labour government's attitude towards reform should be 'more positive'.

The Lords say that the Charter presents a 'major opportunity' to give more effective protection to the individual in relation to the European Union. They disagree with the government that a 'showcase' Charter would have practical benefit for the citizen. 'Effective remedies, not political declarations, are needed to protect individuals against infringement of fundamental rights by EU institutions'.

Andrew Duff, who gave evidence to the Lords, is the European Parliament's co-rapporteur on the Charter and the Liberal member of the Convention set up to draft the Charter. Commenting on the Lords' report, he says:

"Their Lordships have excelled even their own high standards of scrutiny and analysis of EU affairs.

"They are indeed a rare beacon of enlightenment at Westminster as far as European integration is concerned.

"The peers have been persuaded neither by the heavily sceptical stance adopted by Mr Blair's ministers and officials nor by the blatant but ill-informed opposition of British business that the Charter will introduce socialist central planning by the back door.

"The British government must now respond to the report in detail, and must answer the basic accusation that they have not understood the importance of the Charter project for the quality of governance of the European Union.

"I particularly welcome the Select Committee's recommendation that the IGC seeks ways in which the EU can sign up to the existing European Convention on Human Rights as part of the reform process.

"The Report deserves to be widely read in both British and mainland Europe.

"Above all, the Convention should be bold in the face of British official hostility. Our task is to do what is the very best for the European citizen."

The 8th Report of the Select Committee on the European Union EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, House of Lords Paper 67, is available via www.parliament.uk