The European Union (EU) Council of Ministers has in principle agreed technical and administrative rules governing how national vehicle registration information should be shared among law enforcement authorities in all 27 member states. Ministers agreed a 'common approach' to these European Commission proposals which state that such information be only exchanged in encrypted form.
The proposals also say that automated searches of EU vehicle registration data should be carried out using
"a version of the European Vehicle and Driving Licence Information System (EUCARIS) software application", specifically designed for these exchanges.
The technical rules are designed to enact the Prüm Convention, which involves the swapping between EU law enforcement authorities of vehicle, DNA and fingerprint data to combat cross-border crime and terrorism. Such information has to be available 24/7 if there is a technical fault, national contact points must immediately inform each other and agree on temporary alternative information exchange arrangements.
To see the original EU document, click here.
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