Vatican might join EU's antiterrorism agency

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is considering whether to join the European Union's antiterrorism body, Eurojust, in a bid to increase security, an official said yesterday.

Vatican City's chief prosecutor, Nicola Picardi, said the increased threat of international terrorism required new forms of cooperation among countries.

In October, the Vatican successfully joined Interpol, and the Vatican's Gendarmeria has been attending meetings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe since 2006, he said.

While only 492 people live in Vatican City, about 18 million pilgrims and tourists pass through Bernini's splendid colonnade to enter St. Peter's Basilica or visit the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums each year.

As a result, crime does happen here - Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square in 1981.

Nowadays, though, the most serious crimes usually involve petty theft. Since the 9/11 attacks, however, security measures have been significantly beefed up, with visitors required to pass through metal detectors to enter the Basilica and attend audiences with the pope.

Picardi proposed the Eurojust membership as he outlined the state of law and order in the tribunals of the Vatican city-state during a ceremony to start the Vatican's judicial year.

He said that joining Eurojust would be another "important step" in the fight against terrorism, both at home and abroad.

The Hague-based Eurojust was established in 2002 and includes senior investigators and prosecutors from each EU member state. The aim is to facilitate cooperation among members.

In another proposal, Picardi said the Vatican needed a specific law to deal with drug dealing. Someone was brought before the Vatican tribunal last year on charges of drug possession and sale, and there was no law on the books to deal with it, he said.