International

The Dutch government must speak out at European level against the establishment of a European Interior Ministry, the equivalent of the British Home Office or US Justice Department. That was the demand put by SP Member of Parliament Krista van Velzen in a debate with Minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin. Van Velzen described herself as 'astonished' by the news that plans for such a 'ministry' at EU level were already in an advanced stage. "This is a step in the wrong direction, the transfer of such powers to Europe. The EU needs to improve cooperation in the fight against cross-border criminality, but a European Interior Ministry that can conduct independent investigations is unacceptable. The minister should reject this plan.”

Plans for a European Interior Ministry have not been announced in the Dutch parliament, but are mentioned in a letter from the Spanish government, current holders of the EU's rotating six-month presidency. Explaining that she had come across the letter on the Internet, Van Velzen complained that "it's a shoddy business when you have to find this sort of information via Google. That the minister didn't announce it himself, makes me suspicious. This letter should be stamped 'return to sender' – these plans are fit only for the waste basket."