Article 36 committee

This Orwellian-sounding body is responsible for preparing debates between the EU’s justice and interior ministers. Its remit includes highly sensitive subjects like police cooperation, the fight against terrorism and tackling organised crime. It meets regularly, usually at the headquarters of the Council of Ministers in Brussels, and is composed of national law and order experts including top police and customs officials. In the wake of the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the US (and subsequent atrocities in Europe) the Article 36 committee has become one of the Union’s most influential behind-the-scenes bodies.