Framework decision 2009/315 - Organisation and content of the exchange of information extracted from the criminal record between Member States - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 93/23

The European Union has set itself the objective of providing citizens with a high level of safety within the area of freedom, security and justice. This objective presupposes the exchange between the competent authorities of the Member States of information extracted from criminal records.

On 29 November 2000 the Council, in accordance with the conclusions of the Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999, adopted a programme of measures to implement the principle of mutual recognition of decisions in criminal matters (2). This Framework Decision contributes to achieving the goals provided for by measure 3 of the programme, which calls for the establishment of a standard form like that drawn up for the Schengen bodies, translated into all the official languages of the Union, for criminal records requests.

The Final Report on the first evaluation exercise on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters (3) called on the Member States to simplify the procedures for transferring documents between States, using, if necessary, standard forms to facilitate mutual legal assistance.

The need to improve the quality of information exchanged on convictions was prioritised in the European Council Declaration on Combating Terrorism of 25 and 26 March 2004 and was reiterated in the Hague Programme (4), adopted by the European Council on 4 and 5 November 2004, which called for greater exchange of information from national conviction and disqualification registers. These objectives are reflected in the Action Plan jointly adopted by the Council and the Commission on 2 and 3 June 2005 with a view to carrying out the Hague Programme.

With a view to improving the exchange of information between Member States on criminal records, projects developed with the aim to achieve this objective are welcomed, including the existing project for the interconnection of national criminal registers. The experience gathered from these activities has encouraged the Member States to further enhance their efforts and showed the importance to continue streamlining the mutual exchange of information on convictions between the Member States.

This Framework Decision is a response to the wishes expressed by the Council on 14 April 2005, following the publication of the White Paper on exchanges of information on convictions and the effect of such convictions in the European Union and the subsequent general discussion thereof. Its main aim is to improve the exchange of information on convictions and, where imposed and entered in the criminal records of the convicting Member State, on disqualifications arising from criminal conviction of citizens of the Union.

The application of the mechanisms established by this Framework Decision only to the transmission of information extracted from criminal records concerning natural persons should be without prejudice to a possible future broadening of the scope of application of such mechanisms to the exchange of information concerning legal persons.

Information on convictions handed down in other Member States is currently governed by Articles 13 and 22 of the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters of 20...