Britain has to accept protocols

6.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 17th Oct 2007

Andrew arrives at Lisbon as a representative of the European Parliament

Before the opening of the European Council in Lisbon on 18/19 October, which will see the close of the Intergovernmental Conference, Andrew Duff (LibDem, UK), official observer, urgently calls on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown not to block the final negotiation phase of the Reform Treaty and not to give in to those in London who put pressure on him to reject the Protocols which already have been hard to negotiate.

"I very much regret the British government's decision to widen the scope of its derogation from the European Union's common policies in the field of justice policy and home affairs.

"However, given its position, the government is quite right to sign up to the Protocols negotiated by the Intergovernmental Conference on Schengen, the area of freedom, security and justice, and the transfer into normal EU legislative and judicial procedures of the existing acquis in civil and criminal law.

"These Protocols set the terms and conditions under which the UK will exercise its special rights with respect to this key sector of European integration. They are very complicated and have been difficult to negotiate. Their effect is to encourage the UK to opt into as many of these policies as possible, but not to allow the UK to opt into any negotiation at will and then to opt out at the end.

"Britain's partners need to be reassured that the development of policy in this critical field truly reflects the common interest, and enjoys sufficient resources and instruments to be implemented well".

ENDS