Information exchange

SIS is the most widely used police information sharing instrument, providing alerts on wanted or missing persons and objects, both inside the EU and at the EU’s external borders. In 2015, it went through a major update to facilitate and accelerate information exchange on terrorist suspects and to reinforce the EU countries’ efforts to invalidate the travel documents of persons suspected of wanting to join terrorist groups outside the EU.

The Prüm Decisions, adopted in 2008, aim to step up cross-border cooperation in the fields of justice and home affairs, particularly the exchange of information between authorities responsible for the prevention and investigation of criminal offences. They contain rules in the following areas:

• the conditions for the supply of non-personal and personal data in connection with major events with a cross-border dimension
• the conditions for the supply of information in order to prevent terrorist offences
• the conditions and procedure for stepping up cross-border police cooperation through various measures

The proposal for a Regulation on automated data exchange for police cooperation (“Prüm II”) aims to improve automated exchange of data under the Prüm framework. It also strives to increase the efficiency of criminal investigations to meet operational needs of law enforcement authorities, while ensuring alignment of data protection rules. The regulation proposal includes:

• conditions and procedures for automated search and supply of DNA profiles, fingerprint data, facial images, police records and certain national vehicle registration data
• rules regarding the exchange of data following a match
• conditions and procedures for the involvement of Europol

DNA profiles, fingerprints or facial images taken from a crime scene in one EU country can be automatically compared with profiles held in other EU country databases. They will be exchanged through the central router, which will act as a connecting point between national databases.

Police records will be exchanged through the European Police Records Information System (EPRIS), which acts as a connecting point between national police records indexes.

Vehicle registration data, including licence plates and vehicle identification number (VIN), are exchanged through national platforms that are linked to the online application EUCARIS.

The Swedish Framework Decision aims at simplifying the exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement authorities of EU countries. It sets out the rules regarding time limits and standard forms for the exchange of any type of information or data, which is held by law enforcement authorities (principle of availability), on prior request or spontaneously, ensuring that procedures for cross-border data exchanges are not stricter than those applying to exchanges at national level (principle of equivalent access).

The proposal for a Directive on information exchange between Law Enforcement Authorities of Member States will repeal the Swedish Framework Decision upon adoption.

Based on a proposal from the Commission in 2011, the EU PNR directive was adopted in 2016 by the European Parliament and Council. It allows EU countries to collect passenger data from airlines and process them for prevention, detention, investigation, and prosecution purposes, in cases of terrorist offences and serious crimes. The EU PNR directive also defines data protection safeguards and guidelines for the exchange of PNR information between EU countries and with third countries.

Europol acts as the information hub for EU law enforcement through its instrument SIENA. It allows European competent authorities to exchange information in a swift, secure, and user-friendly way, with each other, Europol, and a number of third parties. Its databases facilitate cooperation by allowing EU countries to identify common investigations and providing the basis for strategic and thematic analysis.