WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3590/97 by Marjo MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM to the Commission. Improving data communications in the interests of citizens' safety
Date: 1997-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, MATIKAINEN-KALLSTROEM
Subjects: EU police cooperation, Europol, Schengen Agreement, exchange of information, judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU, public safety, telematics

8. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174/81

(98/C 174/129)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3590/97

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallstro¤m (PPE) to the Commission

(13 November 1997)

Subject: Improving data communications in the interests of citizens(cid:146) safety

The  free  movement  of  dangerous  prisoners  may  have  very  serious  consequences.  Most  recently  this  was
confirmed a few days ago when an escaped Danish prisoner killed two policemen.

What does the Commission propose to do to improve data communications between different countries(cid:146) police
forces, so as to prevent events like these from occurring? How will the Commission ensure that information on
prisoners who have escaped or are on temporary release from Member States(cid:146) prisons is transmitted to other
Member States as efficiently as possible so that action can be taken, for example, to prepare for and react to
escapes?

Does the Commission intend to invest in a Europol which will be able to coordinate police cooperation between
different Member States?

How does the Commission propose to take account of the almost boundless possibilities of data transfer and data
technology and of the increased cooperation between the Member States when the Schengen Convention enters
into force?

(98/C 174/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3647/97

by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission

(19 November 1997)

Subject: Cooperation between authorities in the EU

In the last few days Finland has lived through a tragedy caused by the violent death of two police officers on duty.
The chain of events was this: a Danish criminal on temporary release from prison held up a hotel in Helsinki and
violently killed two policemen. The tragedy raised a number of questions in Finland and no doubt in Denmark
too.

What  is  being  done  to  ensure  that  these  events  cannot  be  repeated?  How  can  the  exchange  of  information
between authorities in the EU be simplified and made more efficient? How can border checks and cooperation be
made more effective, particularly in providing intelligence on the movement of criminals and the granting of
temporary release?

This event is not a very good (cid:145)advertisement(cid:146) for the usefulness of the Schengen Convention to EU nationals.
Extending the freedom of movement obviously has its drawbacks too, and everything possible must be done to
eradicate these undesirable features.

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3590/97 and E-3647/97
given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission

(16 January 1998)

As far as the Honourable Members(cid:146) questions refer to cooperation in the European Union, it has to be noted that
police co-operation in general, and via the Europol drugs unit and future Europol in particular, is restricted to
combating  serious  forms  of  international  crime.  This  has  to  be  distinguished  from  the  problem  of  escaped
prisoners  or  people  who  are  on  temporary  release  which  is  usually  dealt  with  at  a  bilateral  level  or  through
Interpol. As the Amsterdam Treaty will extend police cooperation to the prevention, detection and investigation
of criminal offences in general, it has to be examined after the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty whether
this would include the issue which is raised by the Honourable Members. In the field of judicial cooperation,
extradition,  arrangements  exist  between  Member  States  to  deal  with  the  surrender  of  escaped  prisoners  and
others against whom proceedings have been initiated in relation to serious crimes. These include the possibility
of  provisional  arrest  pending  the  submission  of  a  formal  request.  These  arrangements  are  provided  for  in  a
number of international treaties, principally the 1957 European Convention relating to extradition, and they have
been supplemented and their application facilitated by the European Union Convention relating to extradition of
1996 which is currently being ratified.