PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EU) 2016/794 to implement the new tasks allocated to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) in the framework of the establishment of a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2018/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2016/794 for the purpose of establishing a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
CONTENT: this Regulation amends Regulation (EU) 2016/794 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) to enable the implementation of the new tasks assigned to Europol by Regulation (EU) 2018/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). These tasks include the management of the ETIAS watchlist, the entry of data related to terrorist offences or other serious criminal offences into that watchlist and the provision of opinions following consultation requests by the ETIAS National Units.
Europol must take all appropriate measures to enable the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, within its mandate and for the purposes of the ETIAS Regulation, to have indirect access on the basis of a hit/no hit system to the Europol database, without prejudice to any restrictions indicated by the Member State, Union body, third country or international organisation providing the information in question.
In the case of a hit, Europol will initiate the procedure by which the information that generated the hit may be shared, in accordance with the decision of the provider of the information to Europol, and only to the extent that the data generating the hit are necessary for the performance of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency tasks related to ETIAS.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 9.10.2018.