With 42 votes in favour, 10 against, and 1 abstention, MEPs on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs have adopted a draft report on automated data exchange for police cooperation. They would expand the current provisions on data exchanges (the so-called Prüm Convention), to help the police and other authorities investigate cross-border crime.

Expanding cooperation possibilities

Currently, EU law enforcement officials can automatically share DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data to support investigations. The report adopted today would also expand the scope to cover facial images and police records of suspects and convicted criminals, where member states opt in to sharing these records. The new rules would boost exchanges by harmonising the standards of access to other EU countries’ databases, and exchanges co