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Brexit: EU risks making citizens less safe says May May warns EU: Put citizens' safety first in Brexit talks
(about 2 hours later)
Citizens could be less safe if the UK has to leave key policing agreements after Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May has warned EU leaders. Forcing the UK to leave EU security pacts after Brexit risks the safety of EU and UK citizens, Theresa May has warned European leaders.
The UK says EU negotiators are blocking agreement on tracking terrorists and sharing information after March 2019.The UK says EU negotiators are blocking agreement on tracking terrorists and sharing information after March 2019.
The EU says once the UK becomes a "third country" it cannot have the same access to policing initiatives.The EU says once the UK becomes a "third country" it cannot have the same access to policing initiatives.
Mrs May urged EU leaders to "consider what is in the best interests of the safety of your citizens and mine."Mrs May urged EU leaders to "consider what is in the best interests of the safety of your citizens and mine."
Speaking at a dinner in Brussels the prime minister said obstructing UK participation in law enforcement schemes would mean their ability to fight terrorism would be reduced. The prime minister was speaking at a dinner on Thursday night, during the final European Council meeting before October, by which time both sides hope to have reached agreement on the UK's withdrawal and a blueprint for its future relationship with the EU.
The talks, which stretched into the early hours of Friday, were dominated by the issue of migration.
Italy, the EU's entry point for thousands of migrants, had threatened to veto the summit's entire agenda if it did not get more help.
Mrs May left Brussels on Friday morning and Brexit will be discussed by the remaining EU leaders without her.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the prime minister had hoped to use the dinner to persuade them it was time to adopt a more flexible approach in negotiations.
According to UK officials, Mrs May said EU leaders should tell their negotiators to allow the UK to continue to take part in schemes like the Prum mechanism for sharing DNA profiles, the Second Generation Schengen Information System - a database of "real time" alerts about certain individuals - and the European Criminal Records Information System.
Without UK participation in such schemes, she suggested their collective ability to fight terrorism would be reduced.
"We would no longer be able to share real-time alerts for wanted persons, including serious criminals," she said."We would no longer be able to share real-time alerts for wanted persons, including serious criminals," she said.
"We would be able to respond less swiftly to alerts for missing people on either side of the Channel and reunite them with their loved ones."We would be able to respond less swiftly to alerts for missing people on either side of the Channel and reunite them with their loved ones.
"Our collective ability to map terrorist networks across Europe and bring those responsible to justice would be reduced."Our collective ability to map terrorist networks across Europe and bring those responsible to justice would be reduced.
"That is not what I want and I do not believe it is what you want either," the prime minister said."That is not what I want and I do not believe it is what you want either," the prime minister said.
She said EU leaders should tell their negotiators to allow the UK to continue to take part in schemes like the Prum mechanism for sharing DNA profiles, the Second Generation Schengen Information System - a database of "real time" alerts about certain individuals - and the European Criminal Records Information System.
She urged them to "consider what is in the best interests of the safety of your citizens and mine and give your negotiators a mandate that will allow us to achieve this crucial objective."She urged them to "consider what is in the best interests of the safety of your citizens and mine and give your negotiators a mandate that will allow us to achieve this crucial objective."
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Mrs May hoped to persuade the 27 other EU leaders to move away from what the UK government regards as a rigid approach from the EU Commission in negotiations and to ease up on their "red lines". But the vice president of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, said the focus should be on resolving the question about what happens to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit, not security co-operation.
Earlier this month EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK would be kicked out of the European Arrest Warrant deal after Brexit - which allows EU members to request the arrest and detention of criminals in other countries without extradition talks between them. He argued it could not remain a part of it because the UK wanted to leave the European Court of Justice and free movement rules. She told BBC Newsnight: "I am curious as to why this issue would be thrown on the table or why even a veiled threat is necessary".
The prime minister has been briefing EU leaders at a summit for the last time before October, when both sides hope a deal will be done on the UK's March 2019 departure. "It may not be a helpful move".
But the European Commission president suggested UK cabinet splits were making things more difficult. Earlier this month EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK would be kicked out of the European Arrest Warrant deal after Brexit - which allows EU members to request the arrest and detention of criminals in other countries without extradition talks between them.
Arriving at the summit in Brussels, Jean-Claude Juncker said: "I don't have to lecture Theresa May, but I would like our British friends to make clear their position. He argued it could not remain a part of it, because the UK wanted to leave the European Court of Justice and free movement rules.
"We cannot go on to live with a split cabinet. They have to say what they want and we will respond to that." After ten hours of talks about migration on Thursday night, EU leaders said that new migrant centres could be set up in EU countries on a "voluntary" basis.
The prime minister, who has been under pressure within her own party, has called her cabinet together for a meeting at Chequers on 6 July to agree the UK's blueprint for its future relations with the EU.
Arriving in Brussels, Mrs May said she was looking forward to "securing our strong future partnership" which she said was in the interests of both the EU and UK .
"I think both sides are keen to continue that work at a faster pace than we have done up till now and certainly we would welcome that."
The prime minister held a number of face-to-face meetings with European counterparts on day one of the two-day summit, which is focused on the migration challenges facing Europe and eurozone reform.
After 10 hours of talks which lasted into the early hours of Friday EU leaders said they had reached an agreement on migration.
The leaders said that new migrant centres could be set up in EU countries on a "voluntary" basis.
Mrs May welcomed the "positive conclusions" reached.Mrs May welcomed the "positive conclusions" reached.
She said much of the agreement was "around what the UK has been encouraging for some time, which is taking more action upstream in countries of origin so that we can ensure that people aren't having to make and aren't making these very dangerous journeys."She said much of the agreement was "around what the UK has been encouraging for some time, which is taking more action upstream in countries of origin so that we can ensure that people aren't having to make and aren't making these very dangerous journeys."
The remaining 27 EU leaders are due to discuss Brexit on their own on Friday morning, by which point Mrs May is expected to have left Brussels.