Tag Archives: Interpol

Exchange of certain data with Interpol

Exchange of certain data with Interpol

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Exchange of certain data with Interpol

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Justice freedom and security > Fight against terrorism

Exchange of certain data with Interpol

Document or Iniciative

Council Common Position 2005/69/JHA of 24 January 2005 on exchanging certain data with Interpol.

Summary

One of the Union’s objectives is to provide citizens with a high level of safety and, therefore, it is essential to enhance cooperation between the Union’s law enforcement authorities. Issued or blank passports that are stolen, lost or misappropriated are used to elude law enforcement and to carry out illicit activities capable of jeopardising the security of the Union.

To combat organised and international crime and terrorism, this Common Position meets the requirement to implement an integrated system for the exchange of information on stolen and lost passports * making use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the Interpol STD database *.

All Member States are affiliated to the International Criminal Police Organisation – Interpol. This organisation receives, stores and circulates data to assist the competent law enforcement authorities in preventing and combating international crime. Its database on stolen travel documents allows Interpol’s members to share data on lost and stolen passports.

The Common Position requires Member States’ competent law enforcement authorities to exchange certain non-personal data on stolen and lost passports with the other States who are members of Interpol by using the database on stolen travel documents. Europol ensures an adequate level of protection of personal data and also respects the fundamental rights and liberties regarding the automatic processing of personal data.

 Each Member State may agree with Interpol the modalities for exchanging all passport data. Such data are contained in the relevant national database *, if it participates, or in the SIS. They also ensure that their competent law enforcement authorities query the Interpol database in accordance with this Common Position.

The Commission will, submit a report to the Council on the operation of this Common Position by December 2005. The Council will assess the extent to which Member States comply with this Common Position and take the appropriate action.

Key terms used in the act
  • Passport data: data on issued and blank passports that are stolen, lost or misappropriated and formatted for integration in a specific information system. 
  • Interpol database: the automatic search facility for the stolen travel document database managed by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).
  • Relevant national database: the police or judicial database or databases in a Member State that contain data on issued and blank passports that are stolen, lost or misappropriated.

References

Act Entry into force Deadline for transposition in the Member States Official Journal
Council Common Position 2005/69/JHA OJ L 27 of 29.1.2005

Related Acts

Commission report on the application of Council Common Position 2006/69/JHA [COM (2006) 167].
As provided for in the Common Position, the Commission has presented its report on the application of the Common Position. Of the 25 Member States contacted, 18 participate in Interpol’s STD database on stolen documents and provide the database with data on lost or stolen travel documents.
However, the figures reported by Interpol show that, even though the EU is the main provider of information to the database on travel documents, it carries out only a small proportion of the searches. The report thus calls on the Member States to adopt a more pro-active approach, providing active encouragement to officials of the law enforcement authorities to use the database.

Organised crime: contact points to combat high-tech crime

Organised crime: contact points to combat high-tech crime

Outline of the Community (European Union) legislation about Organised crime: contact points to combat high-tech crime

Topics

These categories group together and put in context the legislative and non-legislative initiatives which deal with the same topic.

Justice freedom and security > Fight against organised crime

Organised crime: contact points to combat high-tech crime

Document or Iniciative

Council Recommendation of 25 June 2001 on contact points maintaining a 24-hour service for combating high-tech crime.

Summary

On 19 March 1998 the Council invited the Member States to join the G8 24-hour information network for combating high-tech crime. This network will provide the countries which join it with an overview of computer network crime, given that it often occurs simultaneously at different locations in different countries.

At a meeting held in Washington on 9 and 10 December 1997, the justice and home affairs ministers of the G8 adopted the network’s basic principles. An action plan was also adopted which made provision for countries from outside the G8 circle to join the network. The network was established between 1998 and 2000.

Those EU Member States which do not form part of the G8 network have joined Interpol’s “National Central Reference Point System” (NCRP). However, Interpol’s national central reference points do not always provide 24-readiness. The two networks will work together in a spirit of cooperation. In addition, those Member States which are not represented in the G8 network should be able to link a 24-hour function to their specialist units that form part of the Interpol network.

The Council therefore recommends that those Member States that have not yet joined the G8 network of contact points do so, and that the national units designated as contact points specialise in combating high-tech crime. The Council also recommends that those units should be able to take operational measures.

References

Act Entry into force Deadline for transposition in the Member States Official Journal
Council Recommendation of 25 June 2001 OJ C 187 of 3.07.2001

Related Acts

Council Frameworkof 24 February 2005 on attacks against information systems