“Lisbon Treaty will help ensure that crime-bosses have nowhere to hide” - Ahern

“Europe has strengthened Ireland’s criminal justice system to fight terrorists, drug-barons and crime-gangs. The Lisbon Treaty by making Europe work better and faster increases that strength further and deserves our full support”, according to Dermot Ahern TD, Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform.

“Terrorists, drug-barons and human-traffickers ply their deadly trade across national borders. We can’t take them on and win alone. That’s why the Lisbon Treaty states that the EU will aim to tackle “trafficking in human beings and the exploitation of women and children; illicit drug trafficking; illicit arms trafficking; money laundering; corruption; terrorism; counterfeiting of means of payment; computer crime and organised crime”.

“The bottom line is this: the Lisbon Treaty allows us build on the progress made in the fight against crime and will help ensure that crime-bosses have nowhere to hide.”

“Today, because of the EU, our criminal justice system is already working hard against cross-border-crime:

· Through the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre MOAC (N) in Lisbon, Portugal, our Irish Garda and Customs Liaison Officers coordinate intelligence sharing and rapid sea and air operations against cocaine smugglers. To date they have helped seize 24,000 kgs of cocaine.

· Through EUROPOL Irish Gardaí are linked into a European policing, intelligence and investigative network which takes-on cross-border crime. Recently Europol and the Garda Siochána smashed a ATM skimming network targeting Irish consumers.

· Through Eurojust the Irish Director of Public Prosecutions and counterpart prosecutors across Europe are co-ordinating investigations and prosecutions against cross-border crime.

· The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) is playing a major role in ensuring that criminals cannot escape justice by fleeing from one EU state to another. The EAW has been a real success in fighting crime as shown by the fact that 194 persons were surrendered by Ireland to other EU states and 87 persons were surrendered to this State in the period 2004 - 2008.

· Because of the European Evidence Warrant (EEW) Irish judicial decisions to obtain evidence - objects, documents or data - needed to solve crime will be directly recognised and enforced in other member States.”

“The Lisbon Treaty can enable us to build us this undoubted progress. Crucially, Ireland will be able to choose on a case-by-case basis which additional justice measures we want to participate in. That power will be ours alone.”

“The message is clear: the EU strengthens Ireland in the fight against crime, Lisbon will make us stronger still.”