Landmark ruling to let EU rule on criminal sanctions

THE European Commission was yesterday given greater powers to force EU governments to impose criminal sanctions for “serious” breaches of key EU policies.

A landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg was hailed by the commission as unprecedented, and by the British Government as “disappointing”.

A British spokesman in Brussels said the government would be studying the outcome and consulting other member states, adding: “We believe that criminal law is a matter for member states’ intergovernmental co-operation.”