EU interior ministers on Thursday agreed landmark plans to give member states access to each other's police databases in a bid to combat terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal immigration. Slovenia fully supports the solution, Interior Minister Dragutin Mate said after the session.
Under the plan, all member states will have access to other countries' DNA and fingerprint databases, as well as direct online access to vehicle registries.
Police services will be able to ask their colleagues in another country to find out whether they have data that matches the profile of a suspected offender.
The plan also includes the exchange of personal information about potential terrorists and violent offenders.
The measures are taken from the Pruem Treaty, a document so far signed by seven EU member states in a bid to enhance cross-border cooperation in combating terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal migration.
The ministers however failed to agree on Article 18 of the Pruem Treaty, which includes a provision allowing police officers to pursue suspected criminals into a neighbouring country until that country takes up the prosecution.
Slovenia is in favour of integrating the provision into the EU body of laws. Indeed, Slovenian Minister Dragutin Mate said Article 18 was "essential".
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|