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Police cooperation

In recent years, Member States have focused on removing legal and administrative obstacles to the exchange of information between Member States' law enforcement authorities in the field of police cooperation. The application of the principle of availability means that law enforcement authorities are entitled to receive from their counterparts in other Member States information that is necessary for the performance of their duties. Certain Member States (Prüm countries) have at this stage started to apply the principle of availability by exchanging DNA and fingerprint data, for example. In the near future efforts will be made to develop systems which enable a more systematic exchange of information.

The EU is also concerned about the spread of organised crime. Member States have aimed to bolster the work of both Europol and Eurojust at Union level in order to enable them to better respond to the challenges that organised crime poses for law enforcement authorities. In fact, efforts are being made to strengthen cooperation between Europol and Eurojust, and to ensure that Member States provide Europol and Eurojust with the information they need.

In the fight against terrorism, the EU has focused on a more effective implementation of the existing instruments. To this end, the EU has drawn up a Counter-Terrorism Strategy and related detailed Action Plan. It also has a large number of other important instruments in place, the implementation of which should be improved. EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove has started to actively monitor Member States' implementation measures with the aim of strengthening the work of Member States and various institutions in the field of counter-terrorism.

The fight against human trafficking is one of Finland's core priorities for justice and home affairs. Efforts will be made to update the EU Action Plan on Trafficking in Human Beings during 2008. The Commission is now expected to issue an assessment report on the implementation of the Action Plan on Trafficking in Human Beings and to give proposals for new measures to combat human trafficking.

Dealing with issues relating to police cooperation has in many cases been slow in recent years, because any final decisions on these issues require unanimity among all Member States. In cases where the Union does not manage to achieve unanimity on an instrument that would be binding on all Member States (decision, framework decision or regulation), it adopts only politically binding Council conclusions or recommendations.