Government proposal on exchange of information between authorities of EU Member States submitted to Parliament

On 26 September, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for an act that aims to improve the exchange of information between EU Member States for the purpose of combating crime.

The proposal is based on the EU Directive on the exchange of information between the law enforcement authorities of Member States, adopted in spring 2023, the purpose of which is to harmonise the rules for adequate and rapid exchange of information between authorities. The objective is to combat cross-border crime in an effective and efficient manner.

The proposed act on the exchange of information would introduce clear and harmonised rules for the exchange of information between EU Member States and lay down provisions on a single case management system. Europol plays a key role in the management of criminal information at EU level. Europol’s Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA) would serve as the primary channel for exchanging information between EU Member States.

A Single Point of Contact to be established or designated in each Member State, operating 24 hours a day, would be responsible for providing information to the authorities of other Member States within a set time limit. The National Bureau of Investigation would serve as the Single Point of Contact in Finland. The proposed act would not give any new powers to the authorities. The competent law enforcement authorities under the proposed act would be the police, Finnish Customs and the Border Guard.

Furthermore, technical amendments resulting from the new act would be made to certain other acts. Most of the proposed acts are scheduled to enter into force on 1 December 2024.

Inquiries:

Katariina Simonen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 488 212, [email protected]