Police and judicial cooperation: accreditation of forensic laboratory activities (DNA and fingerprints). Framework Decision. Initiative Sweden and Spain

2009/0806(CNS)

Ministers reached a general agreement on a draft framework decision on accreditation of forensic laboratory activities. They welcomed the progress made and asked Council preparatory bodies to continue their work with a view to adopting the legislation as soon as possible.

The purpose of this framework decision is to ensure that the results of forensic laboratory activities carried out in one EU Member State are recognised by the authorities responsible for the prevention, detection and investigation of criminal offences within any other Member States. To this end, a national accreditation body in each Member State must accredit forensic service providers carrying out laboratory activities as complying with the relevant international ISO-standard.

The overall aim of this framework decision is confidence-building between EU Member States. As the amount of data transferred across the EU increases, it will become increasingly important to ensure that the quality of the data is sufficiently high.