MEPs back EU criminal record shake-up

MEPs have backed plans to help police forces across the EU speed up the exchange of criminal record data across the EU.

In a vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday, MEPs backed a proposal to allow national governments to swap information more easily, while at the same time boosting guarantees for personal data protection.

"The proposal backed by the Parliament is a technical but key instrument for enhancing and making more effective the judiciary cooperation between member states while also improving safeguards for personal data protection", said author of the report Antonio Di Pietro after the vote.

Under the proposals, national governments would designate a central authority responsible for the exchange of information.

These authorities would have ten working days to provide required information, and 48 hours in emergency cases when an individual is held in custody.

Di Pietro argued that high profile crimes committed in more than one country would be targeted by the proposals, as well as the on-going fight against international terrorism.

"An often-cited case is that of the paedophile convicted in France who later committed a similar crime in Belgium; but another area where cooperation is needed is the fight against terrorism.”

Also included in the text is a proviso that when personal data is forwarded for purposes other than criminal proceedings, there must be a clear understanding between the member states concerned.

This includes mutually agreed limits within which the information can be gathered, and the new laws must comply with existing conventions on personal data protection.

Further proposals are expected from the commission in the future on the creation of a computerised database of all criminal records in all EU countries to speed up the process of checking records across the EU.

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