Prüm's Treaty is now included into the EU legal framework

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

The EU has adopted as its own law, with very little alterations, the
so-called Prüm Treaty, signed on 27 May 2005 by Belgium, Germany, Spain,
France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Austria, which allowed the police
forces of their countries to compare and exchange data more easily.

The new law, adopted by the European Parliament’s report of Fausto Correia
(PES, PT) and approved by the Council of Ministers during a meeting of the
justice and home office ministers last week, gives the EU member-states
three years to rewrite domestic laws in order to comply with it.

“Member states have to adopt legislation on the basis of the decision. They
can copy and paste it, it is self-explaining, not like a Directive, which
contains only objectives. This agreement contains a huge amount of
legislation concerning DNA data and data protection rules.” said a spokesman
of the European Council.

Peter Hustinx, the EDPS, still expresses his concern and his disappointment
for not having been listened to. “It seems that Council has not sufficiently
taken my remarks into account.”

The new rules will open up police databases but not fully, said the Home
Office spokeswoman: “The primary aspects of this are data sharing on
fingerprints, DNA samples and vehicle registrations.”

“What will happen now is that countries will have the ability automatically
to determine immediately whether a member state holds matching DNA or
fingerprint information, but they won’t have automatic access to the
databases or the information itself,” she added.

UK had previously resisted joining the Prüm Treaty. “The implications of
this treaty are far reaching and will affect all EU citizens,” said Philip
Bradbourn, Conservative justice and home affairs spokesman. However, UK has
signed this new EU deal.

“We are sleepwalking into a Big Brother Europe while our government stands
idly by” said Syed Kamall, a British Conservative MEP.

Police will share data across Europe against privacy chief’s advice
(14.06.2007)
http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=8148

DNA data deal ‘will create Big Brother Europe’ (11.06.2007)
http://www.eupolitix.com/EN/News/200706/462d5e3f-1a57-4805-a12e-1cb072b124dd.htm

Prüm Treaty will allow EU27 to exchange DNA data to fight crime (7.06.2007)
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/019-7568-157-06-23-902-20070606IPR07542-06-06-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm

Controversial data-sharing deal to get the go-ahead (12.06.2007)
http://euobserver.com/9/24244

EDRI-gram: From Schengen to Prüm: Data Protection under 3rd pillar a
prerequisite (28.02.2007)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number5.4/prum