· New law heralds world's biggest biometric system
· Police to share information on visa applicants
A battery of police data-sharing and electronic surveillance measures to tackle trans-national crime and immigration issues was agreed yesterday by governments in Europe, 15 of which also gave the green light to a scheme for the world's biggest biometric system. The system will store and allow sharing of data such as the photographs and fingerprints of up to 70 million non-EU citizens applying for visas to enter Europe,
Interior ministers from all 27 EU countries also agreed on automatic access to genetic information, fingerprints, and car registration details in police databases across the union.
The accord, set in Luxembourg and propelling a 2005 treaty into EU law, means police forces in one country will be able to enter the DNA details of a suspect in a European database, then obtain police information from another country if the DNA record hits a match elsewhere.
Germany, which has been driving the data-sharing campaign for the past six months, hailed the accord as "an important day for Europe". Wolfgang Schäuble, the German interior minister, said the pact was an "important element of a European information network".
The Germans and Austrians, who have been sharing DNA information on criminal suspects since December, are already claiming successes.
According to the Austrian police the scheme led to the identification of a double-murder suspect: the arrest of a suspected burglar in Vienna in March, involving his genetic code being fed into the database, led to the discovery that the man was wanted over the murder of two people in Tenerife two years ago.
Britain, traditionally a jealous guardian of its sovereignty on police and judicial policy areas in the EU, welcomed the accord, after diluting some provisions for police cooperation earlier this year.
"Criminals do not respect borders," said Joan Ryan, the Home Office minister. "It is vitally important that our law enforcement authorities have the tools available to obtain information held by other EU countries as quickly as possible."
At first the proposals were for police in one country to operate "hot pursuit" of criminal suspects across national borders without asking the permission of other countries. But that provision was dropped at British insistence, though it will still be practised widely on the continent. Ireland also opposed those pursuit plans.
Criticism of the measures from civil liberties groups has been muted. But UK Conservatives criticised the data-sharing pact. "We are sleepwalking into Big Brother Europe while our government stands idly by," said the Tory MEP Syed Kamall.
The shadow home secretary, David Davis, accused the Home Office of incompetence. "How exactly will our European counterparts ensure that the personal details of British citizens remain safe?"
The biometric database for visas from non-EU applicants is said to be aimed at "visa shopping". An applicant refused a visa by a member state will automatically be disqualified from seeking a visa to any of 13 countries in the border-free travel zone of the EU called the Schengen area. Franco Frattini, the European immigration commissioner, said the new visa system should be in place by early 2009.
Interior ministers from all 27 EU countries also agreed on automatic access to genetic information, fingerprints, and car registration details in police databases across the union.
The accord, set in Luxembourg and propelling a 2005 treaty into EU law, means police forces in one country will be able to enter the DNA details of a suspect in a European database, then obtain police information from another country if the DNA record hits a match elsewhere.
Germany, which has been driving the data-sharing campaign for the past six months, hailed the accord as "an important day for Europe". Wolfgang Schäuble, the German interior minister, said the pact was an "important element of a European information network".
The Germans and Austrians, who have been sharing DNA information on criminal suspects since December, are already claiming successes.
According to the Austrian police the scheme led to the identification of a double-murder suspect: the arrest of a suspected burglar in Vienna in March, involving his genetic code being fed into the database, led to the discovery that the man was wanted over the murder of two people in Tenerife two years ago.
Britain, traditionally a jealous guardian of its sovereignty on police and judicial policy areas in the EU, welcomed the accord, after diluting some provisions for police cooperation earlier this year.
"Criminals do not respect borders," said Joan Ryan, the Home Office minister. "It is vitally important that our law enforcement authorities have the tools available to obtain information held by other EU countries as quickly as possible."
At first the proposals were for police in one country to operate "hot pursuit" of criminal suspects across national borders without asking the permission of other countries. But that provision was dropped at British insistence, though it will still be practised widely on the continent. Ireland also opposed those pursuit plans.
Criticism of the measures from civil liberties groups has been muted. But UK Conservatives criticised the data-sharing pact. "We are sleepwalking into Big Brother Europe while our government stands idly by," said the Tory MEP Syed Kamall.
The shadow home secretary, David Davis, accused the Home Office of incompetence. "How exactly will our European counterparts ensure that the personal details of British citizens remain safe?"
The biometric database for visas from non-EU applicants is said to be aimed at "visa shopping". An applicant refused a visa by a member state will automatically be disqualified from seeking a visa to any of 13 countries in the border-free travel zone of the EU called the Schengen area. Franco Frattini, the European immigration commissioner, said the new visa system should be in place by early 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/13/ukcrime.humanrights
