The European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) gave a negative opinion, on Thursday 7 May, on the launch of an exchange of dactyloscopic data (DNA, fingerprints) between the UK and EU countries, claiming that the UK had not provided sufficient guarantees on reciprocity and data protection.
By 35 votes to 30, they also rejected this EU Council draft implementing decision presented in December 2019, “until the new legal framework for the new cooperation partnership with the United Kingdom is concluded”.
The European Parliament will confirm this opinion next week in plenary, but the EU Council is not required to take it into account when adopting its decision.
This opinion mainly concerns the United Kingdom's current access to fingerprint data bound by the so-called Prüm Decision during the transitional period ending on 31 December.
Even if the Parliament refers to it, it does not concern the future partnership between the two blocs, which is currently being negotiated. In essence, this future partnership also aims to develop police and judicial cooperation, including an agreement on reciprocal access to available national data on DNA and fingerprints of persons suspected or convicted of crimes.
By the end of 2019, the EU27 had considered the United Kingdom to be eligible to continue to access the data-sharing facility during the transition, but that would require the United Kingdom to share data on suspects in addition to convicted persons.
The country was expected to make this change by June 2020, but at this stage, according to one source, London has not notified any changes in its legislation and still does not allow the exchange of fingerprint data of suspects. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)