Private security: network of contact points for the responsible national authorities. Initiative Spain

The committee adopted the report by Carmen CERDEIRA MORTERERO (PES, E) rejecting the initiative under the consultation procedure. Although the committee was in favour of taking steps to harmonise Member States' legislation in the private security sector, it disagreed with both the choice of legal method (i.e. a decision, which is a legislative method used under the third pillar of the European Union) and the legal bases chosen by the Spanish Presidency of the Council. It argued that the Court of Justice had ruled on three occasions that the private security sector counted as an 'economic sector' and as such fell within the sphere of competence of the European Community and not within the third pillar of the Union. �