Impact of the Brexit Agreement on law enforcement and security cooperation a ‘mixed picture’, Queen Mary Professor tells Parliament

Police officers in bulletproof vests patrol Munich's main railway station.

Professor Mitsilegas gave evidence to the House of Lords European Union Security and Justice Committee on 12 January and the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on post-Brexit UK-EU security co-operation on 13 January.

In his evidence, Valsamis Mitsilegas described the impact of the EU-UK post-Brexit Trade and Co-operation Agreement on law enforcement and security cooperation as a 'mixed picture', explaining that the Agreement "…has always been a damage limitation exercise for the UK".

Professor Mitsilegas explained that replicating the UK’s previous arrangements would only be possible to an extent given the limitations faced by the UK as a 'third country' that is no longer an EU member state.

Mitsilegas categorised the level of ambition of the Agreement in relation to security at three different levels:

• High: Areas with high levels of ambition include extradition, data exchange, agreement of confiscation and exchange of confiscation orders.
• Medium: Professor Mitsilegas identified a number of areas as 'perhaps disappointing' in some regards, namely mutual legal assistance, UK participation in Europol and Eurojust and UK investigation teams.
• Low: Areas where the UK cannot participate as a third country because it does not have direct access to existing EU databases and information systems, or due to limitations in the real time exchange of data. For example, the Schengen Information System (SIS), the largest and most commonly used information sharing system for security and border management in Europe.

To view the evidence sessions in full follow the links below:

Watch the House of Lords European Union Security and Justice Committee session on BBC iPlayer

Watch the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee session on parliamentlive.tv