Fight against crime: exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement authorities of the Member States. Framework Decision. Initiative Sweden

2004/0812(CNS)

The Commission presents a Staff Working document on Council Framework Decision 2006/960/JHA ("Swedish Initiative"). The Framework Decision requires the Commission, before 19 December 2010, to submit a report to the Council on the operation of the Framework Decision. Thereupon, the Council shall assess before 19 December 2011 the extent to which Member States have complied with the provisions of the Framework Decision.

This document sets out how the Framework Decision has operated in practice from December 2008 until December 2010. It does not evaluate the Framework Decision nor assess the extent to which Member States have complied with its provisions as that prerogative has been reserved for the Council by the instrument itself.

The report shows that the Swedish initiative has not yet reached its full potential, but the interoperability coordination programme within the EU Information Management Strategywill foster the usage of this instrument and increase the importance of this information exchange tool in the future.

In addition, the implementation of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA (Prüm Decisions) could enhance the usage of this instrument and this will be further examined by the Commission in 2012.