26 October 2011 — Statewatch – e-mail: office@statewatch.org

1.    EU: European Commission: Communication: Smart borders – options and the way ahead
2.    EU: UK INTERVENTION ON EU ACCESSION TO ECHR
3.    France/Libya: Legal complaint lodged against the French firm AMESYS of complicity in acts of torture
4.    UK: RIOTS: Home Office report: An Overview of recorded crimes and arrests resulting from disorder events in August 2011
5.    Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly: Undocumented migrant children in an irregular situation: a real cause for concern
6.    HUNGARY: NGO letter to government on Data Protection Commissioner
7.    EU: Article 29 Working Party on data protection: Press release
8.    EU: Council of the European Union: Joint Customs Operation: Draft final report on JCO ULYSSE
9.    EU: Statewatch Analysis: Future EU Treaty Reform? Economic Governance and Democratic Accountability
10.  UK: Joint Human Rights Committee: Legislative Scrutiny: Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill
11.  EU: Commission fails to refer measures on the introduction of body scanners to the European Data Protection Supervisor
12.  UK: Secret Court hearings: Justice and Security: Green Paper
13.  EU Internal Security Strategy: UK Government response to House of Lords European Union Committee report
14.  CoE: EU ACCESSION TO ECHR
15.  UK: UK-USA EXTRADITION TREATY: OFFICIAL REPORT
16.  Italy: Civil court orders transport and defence ministries to pay damages to Ustica victims’ relatives
17.  Statewatch analysis: Italy: Fire and loathing in Lampedusa
18.  Statewatch analysis: Viewpoint: Ten years after the G8 Summit in Genoa
19.  Statewatch analysis: EU: Mandatory data retention: update and developments
20.  Statewatch analysis: UK: Arrests, raids and wedding parades
21.  EU: Organised crime: European Parliament report on organised crime in the European Union
22.  EU: Access to a lawyer: Council proposal
23.  EU-VIS: Visa Information System goes live
24.  EU-PNR: European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties
25.  EU: Statewatch Analysis: A new player in Security Research: the European Network of Law Enforcement Services (ENLETS)
26.  EU: FRONTEX: Council adopts new rules for Frontex
27.  EU: Council of the European Union: Legislative cooperation and MILEX
28.  EU: European Data Protection Supervisor: “A serious policy debate on net neutrality”
29.  EU: Council of the European Union: Swedish Decision,  Access to lawyer, TFTS
30.  EU: Article 29 Working Partyon data protection

1. EU: European Commission: Communication: Smart borders – options and the way ahead:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-com-smart-borders-com-680-11.pdf

and Press Release: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-com-smart-borders-com-680-11-prel.pdf

The Communication contains the interesting admission that the object is to track down visa “overstayers” and that: “This is a real problem as overstayers are the main source of irregular migration in the EU.”

2.  EU: UK INTERVENTION ON EU ACCESSION TO ECHR: Working Document by the UK: Draft Agreement on the Accession of the European Union to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms United Kingdom proposed text amendments:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-uk-doc-echr-19-10-11.pdf

3.  France/Libya: Legal complaint lodged against the French firm AMESYS of complicity in acts of torture perpetrated by the Gaddafi regime in Libya
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/04france-libya.htm

See also: EU companies banned from selling spyware to repressive regimes (euobserver, link)
http://euobserver.com/1018/113791

4.  UK: RIOTS: Home Office report: An Overview of recorded crimes and arrests resulting from disorder events in August 2011:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-riots-ho-report.pdf

See tables: Tables (link):
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/overview-disorder-aug2011/overview-disorder-aug2011-tabs?view=Binary

And see: Ministry of Justice: Statistical bulletin on the public disorder of 6th to 9th August 2011 – October update:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-moj-stats-aug-riots-11.pdf

5.  Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly: Undocumented migrant children in an irregular situation: a real cause for concern:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/coe-pa-undocumented-children.pdf

6. HUNGARY: NGO letter to government on Data Protection Commissioner from Károly Policy Institute, Hungarian Helsinki Committee and Hungarian Civil Liberties Union:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/hungary-ngo-letter-com.pdf

See also: Hungarian NGOs turn to Barroso over planned removal of Hungarian data protection commissioner (HCLU, link):
http://tasz.hu/en/data-protection/hungarian-ngos-turn-barroso-over-planned-removal-hungarian-data-protection-commissio

7.  EU: Article 29 Working Party on data protection: Press release: revision of the EU data protection legal framework:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-art-29-wp-dp-prel.pdf

8. EU: Council of the European Union: Joint Customs Operation: Draft final report on JCO ULYSSE:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-jco-ulysse-report-7043-rev2-11.pdf

9.  EU: Statewatch Analysis: Future EU Treaty Reform? Economic Governance and Democratic Accountability by Steve Peers, Professor of Law, University of Essex:
“Any Treaty amendments relating to economic governance should, assuming that they are desirable at all, leave the choice of measures to take in order to comply with economic governance rules up to national parliaments and governments.”:
http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-155-econ-governance.pdf

10. UK: Joint Parliamentary Human Rights Committee: Legislative Scrutiny: Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Bill (second Report):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-jhrc-tpim-2nd-report.pdf

11.  EU: Commission fails to refer measures on the introduction of body scanners to the European Data Protection Supervisor:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/03edps-body-scanners.htm

– Dubious legal basis for Commission plan
– No justification given for allowing for the use of full body scanners when less instrusive technology is available

12. UK: Secret Court hearings: Justice and Security: Green Paper:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-justice-and-security-green-paper.pdf

and Impact assessment: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-justice-and-security-green-paper-ia.pdf

See: Ken Clarke wants more secret hearings in courts (BBC News, link)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15370182

13. EU Internal Security Strategy: UK Government response to House of Lords European Union Committee report:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-eu-iss-gov-resp-hol-rep.pdf

See: UK House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union: The EU Internal Security Strategy (90 pages):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/may/eu-internal-security-uk-hol-report.pdf

14.  CoE: EU ACCESSION TO ECHR: Report to the Committee of Ministers on the elaboration of legal instruments for the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights (dated 14.10.11):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/coe-eu-accession-echr-14-10.11.pdf

15.  UK: UK-USA EXTRADITION TREATY: OFFICIAL REPORT: “A whitewash”: A Review of the UK’s extradition arrangements (488 pages):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/uk-baker-extradition-review.pdf

See also: Statewatch Analysis: The new UK-US Extradition Treaty:
http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-18-uk-usa-extrad.pdf

and Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner: Call for wholesale review of EAWs:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/mar/eu-eaw-thomas-hammarberg.pdf

16. Italy: Civil court orders transport and defence ministries to pay damages to Ustica victims’ relatives, collateral victims of undeclared warfare in the Mediterranean:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/02italy-ustica.htm

17.  Statewatch analysis: Italy: Fire and loathing in Lampedusa: A fire in Lampedusa’s overcrowded Contrada Imbriacola reception centre led to widespread clashes between migrants and police: http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-154-lampedusa.pdf

18.  Statewatch analysis: Viewpoint: Ten years after the G8 Summit in Genoa, by Salvatore Palidda, Genoa University:
http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-152-genoa-palidda.pdf

The practice of peaceful (although not pacifist) resistance shows that the asymmetry of power can be overturned – albeit partially and temporarily – through mass political action without the need for heroism or extremism, or for leaders and large traditional organisations.

19.  Statewatch analysis: EU: Mandatory data retention: update and developments: Opposition mounts in Member States, and the Council of the European Union decides that in its defence head-line stories should replace the provision of reliable statistics:
http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-151-eu-mand-ret-update.pdf

20.  Statewatch analysis: UK: Arrests, raids and wedding parades (pdf) The coalition government’s commitment to restore freedom and rights in the face of increasing state power is undermined by the heavy-handed response to small protests on the day of the royal wedding.
http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-150-wedding-protests.pdf

21.  EU: Organised crime: European Parliament report on organised crime in the European Union (A7-0333/2011):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-ep-organised-crime.pdf

22.  EU: Access to a lawyer: Council proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest (15351/11):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-access-to-lawyer.pdf

23.  EU-VIS: Visa Information System goes live: Commission press release: More efficient and secure visa system goes live (link):
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/1169&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Frequently Asked Questions: The Visa Information System goes live (link):
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/682&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

24.  EU-PNR: European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs: Draft recommendation on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and Australia on the processing and transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data by air carriers to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (2011/0126, 10 October 2011):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-pnr-parliament-recommendation.pdf

25.  EU: Statewatch Analysis: A new player in Security Research: the European Network of Law Enforcement Services (ENLETS) by Eric Töpfer. “Europe’s police forces want to increase their influence on European security research policy, but it is doubtful that this will constrain the spread of military technology into civil arenas.”
http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-149-enlets.pdf

26.  EU: FRONTEX: Council adopts new rules for Frontex, the European Agency for the management of operational cooperation at the external borders of the EU: ‘New rules on Frontex adopted – Strengthening the European external borders agency’ (Press release, 15208/11, 10 October 2011):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-frontex-new-rules-15208-11.pdf

27. EU: Council of the European Union:

– Review of the application of the Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the establishment of a Network for legislative cooperation between the Ministries of Justice of the European Union:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-network-legislative-justice-coop-14843-11.pdf

– MILEX 11 Final Exercise Report (CSDP):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-milex-report-14277-11.pdf

28. EU: European Data Protection Supervisor: “A serious policy debate on net neutrality must effectively address users’ confidentiality of communication”, says EDPS (Press release): http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-edps-net-neutrality-prel.pdf

and Opinion: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-edps-net-neutrality-opinion.pdf

29. EU: Council of the European Union:
– Council Conclusions on the implementation of Council Framework Decision 2006/960/JHA (“Swedish Framework Decision”):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-swedish-decision-draft-concl-15277-11.pdf

– Council Framework Decision 2006/960/JHA on simplifying the exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement authorities of the Member States of the European Union (“Swedish Framework Decision”) – Assessment:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-swedish-decision-report-15278-11pdf.pdf

– Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and on the right to communicate upon arrest – Orientation debate: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-council-right-to-info-15533-11.pdf

30.   EU: Article 29 Working Partyon data protection: Data Protection Authorities not convinced on necessity and proportionality of the proposal for European Terrorist Finance Tracking System: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2011/oct/eu-art-29-wp-tfts-prel.pdf