The success of the four core freedoms of the EU has created fertile ground for transnational organised crime. Innovative, transnational legal weapons are therefore required by national authorities. The availability of data on criminal convictions is at the forefront of the debate. But which mechanism for availability can be used effectively while at the same time respecting an increasingly higher level of data protection at national level? In the fluid, post-'Reform Treaty' environment, the EU is moving towards the creation of a European Criminal Record which will ultimately secure availability of criminal data beyond the weaknesses of Mutual Legal Assistance mechanisms. Examining the concept of a European Criminal Record in its legal, political and data protection dimensions, this multidisciplinary study is an indispensable exploration of a major initiative in European Criminal Law which is set to monopolise the debate on EU judicial co-operation and enforcement.
Author(s): Constantin Stefanou, Helen Xanthaki
Edition: 1
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 414
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Contributors......Page 9
Preface and Acknowledgment......Page 11
1. The necessity of a European Criminal Record: gaps in national criminal records......Page 13
2. Mutual legal assistance: solution or disappointment?......Page 15
3. The Commission proposes......Page 22
4. Competing legislative approaches......Page 25
5. Further EU legislative initiatives......Page 30
6. Conclusions......Page 35
PART I......Page 37
2.1. Content, use, access and erasure......Page 39
2.2. Crimes committed by foreigners......Page 42
2.3. Mechanisms of collaboration......Page 43
3.1. Why a central database?......Page 53
3.2. The host: Europol or Eurojust?......Page 55
3.3. Which crimes?......Page 61
3.4. Reception from national laws......Page 63
4. Conclusions......Page 68
1. Introduction......Page 71
2. Feasibility of the European Criminal Record......Page 73
2.1 Organised crime and the EU......Page 75
2.2 Organised crime and the European public......Page 77
2.3 Political opposition to an ECR database......Page 79
3. Analysis......Page 83
3.1 Contents of the ECR......Page 85
3.2 Access to the ECR......Page 86
4. Conclusion......Page 88
2.1 The European Convention on Human Rights......Page 91
2.2 European Union instruments......Page 97
3.1 Types of crimes included in the ECR......Page 105
3.2 Issues related to the transfer of data to the ECR......Page 109
3.3 Access to the ECR......Page 111
4. Conclusions......Page 115
PART II......Page 117
1. Introduction......Page 119
2.1.1 General provisions......Page 120
2.2 Mechanisms of collaboration with foreign authorities for the exchange of information included in criminal records......Page 124
2.3.1. Data protection......Page 126
2.3.3. Criminal records: no violation of human rights per se......Page 129
2.3.4. The principle of legality......Page 130
3.1. A criminal record for a certain type of crimes or for all crimes?......Page 132
3.2. Competent authority for the transfer of relevant data to the ECR authority......Page 134
3.4. Department at the EU level keeping the ECR......Page 136
4. Access to the ECR......Page 137
5.2. Is an ECR an effective weapon against organised crime and terrorism?......Page 141
6.1.2. Issues covered by a legal act establishing an ECR......Page 142
7. Political acceptance......Page 144
7.1. The evaluation of organised crime and terrorism in Austria......Page 145
7.2. An ECR as successful instrument to combat organised crime?......Page 146
8. Conclusions......Page 147
1. Introduction......Page 150
2.1 Previous conviction (recidivism, repeated offences) as an essential element of a crime......Page 151
2.3 Previous conviction and non bis in idem principle......Page 154
2.5 Ministry of Justice and the criminal record......Page 155
2.6.2 International relations......Page 156
2.7 Information for and from the criminal record database......Page 158
3. Contents of a European Criminal Record......Page 162
4. Access to the European Criminal Record......Page 163
5. Use of the European Criminal Record......Page 164
6. Critical evaluation......Page 165
1. Introduction: basic legal structure of recording crime in Germany......Page 166
2. Databases for prosecutions in Germany......Page 168
3. Access to the databases......Page 169
4. Procedural stages at which data are introduced to or erased from the database......Page 170
5. Purpose of the databases and use in practice......Page 171
6. Collaboration with foreign authorities for the acquisition of data......Page 172
7. Provisions and restrictions for data sharing between public bodies......Page 173
8. Linking national databases as an effective weapon against transnational crime?......Page 175
10. Possible use of EU database supply......Page 176
11. Assessment of political feasibility in Germany......Page 177
12. Conclusions......Page 178
1. Introduction......Page 180
2. Existing legal framework......Page 182
3. Contents of a European Criminal Record......Page 185
4. Access to the European Criminal Record......Page 187
5.1 Judicial use......Page 189
5.2 Use for future employment and admission to schools and associations......Page 190
6. Protection against organised crime......Page 191
7. Critical evaluation......Page 192
1. Introduction......Page 193
2. Types and content of the Hungarian criminal registers......Page 194
2.1. Register of offenders......Page 195
2.2. Register of persons under coercive measures......Page 196
2.5. Register of DNA profiles......Page 197
2.6. Extract......Page 198
3. Crimes committed by foreigners and crimes committed by nationals abroad......Page 199
4.1. Authorities entitled to forward information to foreign authorities......Page 200
4.2. Cooperation systems......Page 202
4.3. Exchange mechanisms......Page 203
5. Hungarian privacy legislation and data protection......Page 206
2.1. Recording and maintenance of information about criminal convictions in Ireland......Page 209
2.2. Irish legislation and practice on mutual assistance......Page 211
2.3 Proposed mutual assistance legislation......Page 213
3. Contents of a European Criminal Record......Page 215
4. Access to the European Criminal Record......Page 216
5. Use of the European Criminal Record......Page 218
6. Critical evaluation......Page 219
1. Introduction: The legal framework......Page 223
2. General provisions on judicial documentation......Page 227
3. The regulation of the provision of judicial data......Page 229
4. Regulation of personal files......Page 232
5. The certificate of behaviour......Page 234
6. The rights of the subject to information and correction of erroneous data......Page 235
1. Introduction......Page 238
2.2. General rules......Page 239
2.3. Rules on Criminal Records......Page 243
3. Contents of the European Criminal Record......Page 245
4. Access to the European Criminal Record......Page 246
5. Use of the European Criminal Record......Page 249
6. Critical evaluation......Page 250
1.1 The criminal record system in the Slovak Republic – national legal framework......Page 254
1.2 The content of the criminal record......Page 255
1.3 Criminal record extracts......Page 258
1.4 The transnational exchange of criminal record information......Page 261
1.5 Proposal for new legal regulation......Page 264
1.6 Relation to the European Criminal Record......Page 266
2. Proposed new legislation......Page 267
1. Introduction......Page 279
2. Criminal records in Spain: the legal framework......Page 280
2.1 Entries to the Spanish criminal record and erasure......Page 284
2.2 Access to the Spanish criminal Register......Page 288
2.3 Use of criminal record in Spanish law......Page 291
2.4 Collaboration with foreign authorities for the acquisition of criminal records of foreign individuals......Page 294
2.5 The effectiveness of the Spanish system: a critique......Page 296
3. Contents of a European Criminal Record......Page 298
4. Access to the ECR......Page 299
6. Critical evaluation......Page 300
1. Introduction......Page 303
2. The existing legal framework......Page 304
3.1 The domestic criminal record......Page 306
3.2 Foreign convictions data on the domestic record......Page 308
3.3 Issues raised by the ECR......Page 309
4.1 Access to the domestic record by British residents......Page 311
4.2 Access to the domestic record by external residents and sources......Page 312
4.3 Issues raised by the proposals for an ECR......Page 313
5. Use of the ECR......Page 314
6. Critical evaluation......Page 316
7. Conclusions......Page 318
PART III......Page 321
1. Introduction......Page 323
2. Europol......Page 324
3. The Schengen Information System......Page 329
4. Interoperability and access to immigration databases......Page 333
5. Exchange of data between national police authorities: The principle of availability......Page 338
6. Conclusion: Lessons for facilitating the exchange of records in criminal matters......Page 344
1. Introduction......Page 348
2. The project aims......Page 349
3. The recommended model......Page 350
3.1 The labelling technique......Page 351
3.1.1 Larger categories of criminal acts......Page 352
3.1.2 Mandated areas......Page 353
3.2 Other search methods......Page 354
4.1 Final judicial decisions related to criminal acts......Page 355
4.2 National and foreign decisions......Page 358
4.3 Persons......Page 359
4.4 Crimes......Page 360
5. Access and use of the criminal records database......Page 361
6. Vulnerable professions......Page 362
7. Conclusion......Page 363
2. Feasibility of the ECR proposal: The Sutherland criteria......Page 366
3. The ECR: Feasible or folly?......Page 372
3.1 General principles governing the ECR......Page 373
3.2 The host of the ECR......Page 375
3.3 Conditions imposed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights......Page 377
3.3.1. The content of the ECR......Page 379
3.3.2. Access to the ECR......Page 381
3.3.4. Judicial supervision......Page 383
3.3.5. The right to appeal......Page 384
3.4 Transfer of data to the ECR......Page 386
4. Conclusions......Page 388
1. Recent developments......Page 390
2. The concept of the ECR revisited......Page 394
Index......Page 397
