Judges at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg would be given a controversial new role in settling sensitive asylum, immigration and visa cases, under proposals to overhaul EU cross-border judicial co-operation set to be unveiled today.

José Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, will call for a shake-up of the way Europe tackles issues such as international crime, terrorism and illegal immigration. He will press member states to lift national vetoes to make it easier to make laws to help fight terrorism and improve cross-border crime-fighting.