Home page: www.statewatch.org
1. EU-AFRICA: Commission: The Africa-EU partnership at work
2. EU: Exchange of criminal information and “intelligence”: Draft Guidelines
3. EU: Statewatch analysis: Proposals for greater openness, transparency and democracy
4. EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council
5. UK: Why are fear and distrust spiralling in 21st century Britain?
7. UK: Farnborough Airport: ‘terrorist’ plane spotters
8. EU: Kopernicus – what’s in it for Joe public?
9. UK: Identity minister moots ID cards on driving licences
10. EU: European Criminal Record Information System: ECRIS
11. UK: The creeping database state
12. EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Annual report on access to documents
13. EU: RETURNS DIRECTIVE: Migreurop: first effects
14. EU-PNR scheme being re-written by the Council
15. EU-DETENTION CENTRES/CAMPS: Migreurop map
1. EU-AFRICA: European Commission: One year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU partnership at work (COM 617):
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-africa-com-617.pdf
and One year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU Partnership at work: Commission contributions to the implementation of the EU-Africa Action Plan (2008-2010) (SEC 2603):
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-africa-sec-2603.pdf
2. EU: Exchange of criminal information and “intelligence”: Draft Guidelines on the implementation of the “Swedish Framework Decision” (105 pages): This is a “partially accessible” document with the names of officials removed:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-exchange-of-crim-data-swedish-13942-08.pa.pdf
“The aim of this publication is to provide guidelines for the implementation of Council Framework Decision 2006/960/JHA on simplifying the exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement authorities of the Member States of the European Union.”
3. EU: Statewatch analysis: Proposals for greater openness, transparency and democracy in the EU by Professor Steve Peers, University of Essex:
www.statewatch.org/analyses/proposals-for-greater-openness-peers-08.pdf
4. EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Luxembourg, 24 October 2008: Press release (French):
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-jha-24-oct-08-prel-fr.pdf
– Background Note: www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-jha-24-oct-08-background.pdf
– “B” Points agenda: www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-jha-24-oct-08-b-points.pdf
– “A” Points agenda: www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-jha-24-oct-08-a-points.pdf
The agenda includes discussion on the following two documents:
– Draft Council conclusions on setting up national alert platforms and a European alert platform for reporting offences noted on the Internet (EU doc no: 14071/08):
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-jha-24-oct-08-cyber-crime-alerts.pdf
Council “Conclusions” are enabling measures (known as “soft law”). A European alert “platform” is to be set up to deal with cybercrime with:
“the aim is to promote common practices with regard to the tracing, acquisition, compilation and storage of data, search and seizure of computer data”.
The question though is: What is cybercrime? Up to now this has only covered terrorism and child pornography. But there is talk now of extending what the EU calls “cyber patrols” to other crimes, as yet undefined.
– Police cooperation within the Salzburg Forum – an example for successful Regional Cooperation – Joint Presentation of the Salzburg Forum on EU level (EU doc no: 14304/08): www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-jha-salzburg-forum-14304-08.pdf
Report of a group, “the Salzburg Forum”, that you might never have heard of:
“The Salzburg Forum which was founded in 2001 constitutes a platform for regional cooperation in the field of internal security between Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Croatia takes part in the Salzburg Forum as an observer.”
5. UK: Why are fear and distrust spiralling in twenty-first century Britain? Joseph Rowntree Foundation:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/uk-jrf-fear-of-crime.pdf
6. EU: Body Scanners at airports: MEPs say that fundamental rights are under threat EP Press release:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/ep-body-scanners-resolution.pdf
7. UK: Farnborough Airport: ‘terrorist’ plane spotters (Indymedia, link):
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/411431.html
8. EU: Kopernicus – what’s in it for Joe public? by Philip Hunt, October 2008:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/06kopernicus-phil-hunt.htm
“The GMES forum in Lille on the 16-17 September 2008 was a perfect example of why so many EU institutional efforts fail to get a good press. The event marked the launch of Kopernicus, the new EU umbrella for a host of different earth surveillance services from satellites and ground sensors. Yet the occasion singularly failed to impress.”
What is Kopernikus?: ec.europa.eu/kopernikus/overview.htm
“Kopernikus is a European initiative, formerly called Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security (GMES), which uses satellites and other sensors on the ground, floating in the water or flying through the air to monitor our natural environment as well as keeping an eye on the security of every citizen.”
9. UK: Identity minister moots ID cards on driving licences (The Register, link):
www.zdnet.co.uk/misc/print/0%2C1000000
169%2C39523794-39001093c%2C00.htm
Background: The Shape of Things to Come including the “Internet of Things”, the “digital tsunami” and surveillance by public security agencies:
www.statewatch.org/analyses/the-shape-of-things-to-come.pdf
10. EU: European Criminal Record Information System: ECRIS latest draft proposal (EU doc no: 12858/08):
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/euecris
-crimes-covered-draft-12858-08.pdf
ECRIS is intended to create: “efficient mechanism of exchange of information extracted from criminal records.”
Among the offences listed are:
– Insult of the State, Nation or State symbols
– Insult or resistance to a representative of public authority
– Public order offences, breach of the public peace
– Revealing a secret or breaching an obligation of secrecy
– Unintentional damage or destruction of property
– Unauthorised entry or residence
– Other unintentional offences
– Prohibition from entry to a mass event
– Placement under electronic surveillance
– Withdrawal of a hunting / fishing license
– Prohibition to play certain games/sports
– Prohibition from national territory
This proposal replaces an earlier draft: EU doc no: 12007/08:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu
ecris-crimes-covered-draft-12007-08.pdf
Background: European Data Protection Supervisor: European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) (Press release and Opinion):
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/sep/eu-edps-ecris-opin.pdf
Commission proposal for ECRIS:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/sep/eu-ecris-com-proposal.pdf
and Outcome of first discussions in the Council’s Multidisciplinary Group on Organised Crime – yet another instance where law enforcement agents and officials will be deciding on the transfer of personal data:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/sep/
eu-ecris-proposal-mdg-outcome.pdf
11. The creeping database state: UK: Passports will be needed to buy mobile phones (Times, link):
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4969312.ece
and EU: Draft Council conclusions on the use of closed-circuit television surveillance in combating terrorism
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/eu-cctv.pdf
The latter includes enabling: “police and security services to benefit from a full national or regional mapping of CCTV installations, which could help them to carry out their missions.” and “Advantage should be taken of the possibilities offered by developments in technology.”
This is a reference to the next generation of CCTV cameras which collect and store digital images which can be searched for facial matches, See The Shape of Things to Come of “Internet of Things”, the “digital tsunami” and surveillance by public security agencies.
12. EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Annual report on access to documents, 2007:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/com
-access-annual-report-for-2007.pdf
The low number of visitors to the Commission’s public register of its documents – only 39,013 over the full year, 3,251 per month – tells us that it is not seen as a useful source of documentation. Many, many documents are not listed and of those that are many do not give access to the text of the document. And this leads in turn to:
“The constant increase in the number of initial applications since the Regulation was adopted was again observed in 2007, when 4196 initial applications were registered by departments, 355 more than in 2006.”
The Commission’s failure to list all the documents its receives or produces is the subject of a Statewatch complaint to the European Ombudsman.
13. EU: RETURNS DIRECTIVE: Migreurop statement on the first effects of the returns directive
Detention of foreigners : the first effects of the “return” directive (English):
www.migreurop.org/article1318.html
Détention d’étrangers : les premiers contrecoups de la directive retour (French, original):
www.migreurop.org/article1317.html
Detenzione degli stranieri : i primi effetti della direttiva Rimpatri (Italian):
www.migreurop.org/article1319.html
Detención de extranjeros : los primeros efectos de la Directiva “ retorno” (Spanish):
www.migreurop.org/article1320.html
Basque Parliament resolution strongly condemns the Returns Directive: Original (in Euskera – Basque – and Spanish) (pdf, pp. 5-8):
www.parlamento.euskadi.net/pdfs_acuerdos/2/akord_azkena.pdf
Unofficial Statewatch translation Thanks to Mugak/SOS Arrazakeria for drawing our attention to this document:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/
returns-directive-basque-parliament.pdf
14. EU-PNR scheme being re-written by the Council:
www.statewatch.org/news/2008/oct/04eu-pnr-rewrite.htm
EU-PNR system to cover all flights in and out of the EU and to cover everyone, EU citizens and visitors – in addition any EU state that wants to (like the UK) can extend this to cover flights within the EU as well. Processed PNR data to be checked against: “national, international and European files”.
15. EU-DETENTION CENTRES/CAMPS: Migreurop have updated their map of Europe: Detention centres/camps (link)
www.migreurop.org/IMG/pdf/carte-fr07.pdf
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