European Union plans for sweeping new laws to combat terrorism have become bogged down in disagreements among member-states over the scope of a proposed European arrest warrant.
EU justice ministers meeting in Luxembourg last night failed to agree on whether the warrant should apply to all offences carrying a penalty of more than one year in prison or should be confined to specified, terrorist crimes.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, acknowledged that the ministers could fail to reach agreement before a self-imposed deadline of December 6th and that it could be left to EU leaders meeting in Laeken later that month to work out a deal.
Ireland, in common with a number of other member-states, opposes the commission's proposal to abolish the principle of dual criminality.
This means suspects cannot be extradited for offences that are not crimes in the extraditing jurisdiction.
"I would have great difficulty in explaining to someone why they should be extradited for something that is not a crime in Ireland," Mr O'Donoghue said.
Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands are among the member-states that oppose the abolition of dual criminality.
Some officials from those countries have identified as a potential problem the possibility of being asked to extradite to Ireland someone suspected of carrying out an abortion.
Mr O'Donoghue expressed support for a French proposal to create a "positive list" of terrorist offences for which the European arrest warrant could be used.
He expressed reservations about an alternative proposal for a "negative list" of offences, such as abortion, euthanasia and some drug offences, to which the warrant would not apply.
Other member-states have difficulty with the minimum penalties proposed by the Commission for a range of terrorist offences. Mr O' Donoghue said Irish anti-terrorist laws were so tough that sentencing was not an issue.
Earlier yesterday, finance ministers approved tough new measures against money laundering, in an effort to starve terrorist organisations of cash.
The new rules will oblige lawyers, estate agents and other non-financial professionals to disclose details of suspicious transactions if requested by authorities.
Jewellers and casino operators will have to demand proof of identification from anyone making large payments in cash.
And offshore tax havens that refuse to disclose details to EU investigators could face isolation in future.
The EU Taxation Commissioner, Mr Frits Bolkestein said the measures, which will apply to drug traffickers and other criminals as well as terrorists, represented a new benchmark in the international fight against money laundering.
"The EU is preparing to apply pressure to non-co-operative. This may continue to the point where all transactions with them come under intense scrutiny and may in the end have to be stopped," he said.
The proposals must be approved by the European Parliament and are expected to be passed before the end of this year.
The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, welcomed the measures, which he described as an important sign of Europe's resolve in the fight against international terrorism.
"The whole emphasis is to ensure that everyone is moving against terrorism and that includes the movement of funds," he said.
"That's a very important message."