Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Bates on 2 February (HLWS495), whether they intend to resist any proposal to allow the EU border guard to intervene directly in member states; and what assessment they have made of whether such an extension of EU powers would be made by way of treaty change and a UK referendum.

Lord Bates

The proposal for a European Border and Coast Guard builds on provisions of the Schengen agreement in which the UK does not participate; the UK will not therefore be bound by the new regulation.

The UK is supportive of steps to increase the security of the external Schengen border – we have a strong interest in effective management of the Schengen external border, not just in combating illegal migration, and cross-border crime but also as part of the EU-wide counter-terrorism effort.

In the Commission’s view there is sufficient basis in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to take forward the clause which allows for intervention, without change to the Treaty.