European Affairs

I could be flippant and say that they knew about the success of our country after 12 years of a Labour Government and wanted to join in that success, but I think that they see the United Kingdom as El Dorado. It is the place where they believe they can be safest. There would be a common language, as many of them spoke English, and none of them spoke French, German or Austrian German. The point is that our colleagues need to ensure that they fulfil their responsibilities. When people enter a European Union country, whether it is Romania, Austria or Germany, that is where the problem should be dealt with. If there is one thing that we ought to be doing, it is sitting around a table at the Justice and Home Affairs Council when the Home Secretary is next there and ensuring that that happens. I know that the Minister for Borders and Immigration and his French counterpart have decided on a common strategy. The trouble, however, is that the French offered some of these people a return to Afghanistan, a charter plane was booked, but before they could board it, the French cancelled it. There has to be a common approach to immigration policy. Better use needs to be made of Europol. It is headed by a Brit: Robert Wainwright, formerly a senior official in the Serious Organised Crime Agency. We do not do enough to support Europol. I know that there are problems with the European arrest warrant, but this is another EU institution through which we can work with our European colleagues and partners and we must make sure that it is strengthened and robust. Our country simply cannot deal with the threats we face from organised crime and international terrorism without the support of colleagues. Again, those engaged in these activities have to pass through many other countries in order to get to the United Kingdom. The support of colleagues and partners is vital, and it is also vital to the security of our country that we support institutions such as Europol. The hon. Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen) is not in the Chamber at present, but no Member has done more to combat human trafficking; he has been an assiduous campaigner on the issue. The Home Affairs Committee completed its report into human trafficking earlier this year, and we again found that although this is a cross-border issue on which we ought to have the support of European partners, we did not get that support. We would like there to be a Europe-wide organisation to deal with human trafficking. I am not suggesting for one moment that we should spend any more taxpayers' money in creating yet another European institution, because I am the first to admit that not all of them work satisfactorily despite the huge budgets they receive. However, there must be networks that we can create that will permit us to work with partners to stop the scourge of human trafficking, which is currently the second biggest illegal activity, after the drugs trade. I hope that at the next Council meeting we will support the Swedish presidency to ensure that it continues to make tackling human trafficking a priority. One of the good features of the EU over the past few years is that themes have not only been taken up by individual presidencies, but they have been carried over to cover a number of presidencies. This started in Prague and went on to Stockholm, and I hope it will be continued in Madrid, so that there is longer than just six months to consider the themes that are fashioned and outlined by the countries that hold each presidency. I know that Sri Lanka is not a huge issue for next week's European Council, but I also know that the EU is about to consider whether to extend GSP-plus—the generalised system of preferences—for Sri Lanka. There have been positive developments in Sri Lanka, in that a number of people have been let out of the camps that the Government have created. I and colleagues in the all-party group on Sri Lanka—including the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, who has been at the forefront of UK support for the Tamil community—have met the Foreign Minister. We made it very clear to him that it is not enough for the Sri Lankan Government just to let people out for a short period—they must return to the camps after 15 days—but that they must demonstrate that they are committed to understanding and engaging with their own people about their true wishes. That means that they will have to sit down and talk to the leaders of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. I urge the Government not to permit an extension of GSP-plus yet—that is our official position, and it was the position of Cathy Ashton when she was Trade Commissioner—because if we send a signal now that we are happy with what is going on, it will be read in the wrong way. We should continue this engagement with the Sri Lankan Government—we should continue a dialogue with them and welcome what they have done—but we should also make sure that they complete the process. A few days of respite for the Tamil people is not enough; the Sri Lankan Government must do more. I wish the Minister for Europe well in his first European summit since taking on the post. I know that he will have a terrific time there, because this is the subject about which he knows the most. I hope very much that he will continue to do what he and all other Ministers have done, which is to put the interests of Britain first while dealing with colleagues and partners to make sure that we do the best for Europe and the best for Britain.