BETA

Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage



2018/2063(INI) Proposal to open negotiations on the Commission recommendation for a Council decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the EU and Tunisia on the exchange of personal data between Europol and the Tunisian competent authorities for fighting serious crime and terrorism
Next event: Vote in plenary scheduled 2018/07/04
RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Opinion AFCO
Opinion AFET
Opinion BUDG
Opinion CONT
Lead LIBE MORAES Claude (S&D) METSOLA Roberta (EPP), STEVENS Helga (ECR), PETERSEN Morten Helveg (ALDE), ERNST Cornelia (GUE/NGL), TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria (Verts/ALE)
Lead committee dossier: LIBE/8/12871
Legal Basis RoP 108

Activites

  • 2018/07/04 Vote in plenary scheduled
  • 2018/06/27 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • 2018/06/20 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • 2018/06/14 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • 2017/12/20 Non-legislative basic document published
    • COM(2017)0807
    • DG {'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/migration-and-home-affairs_en', 'title': 'Migration and Home Affairs'}, AVRAMOPOULOS Dimitris

Documents

AmendmentsDossier
46 2018/2063(INI)
2018/06/01 LIBE 46 amendments...
source: 622.354

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

activities/0/docs/0/text
  • PURPOSE: to open negotiations for an agreement between the European Union and Tunisia on the exchange of personal data between the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the Tunisian competent authorities for fighting serious crime and terrorism.

    BACKGROUND: in a globalised world where serious crime and terrorism are increasingly transnational and polyvalent, Europol should therefore be able to exchange personal data with law enforcement authorities of third countries to the extent necessary for the accomplishment of its tasks.

    Regulation (EU) 2016/794 establishes a legal framework for Europol. It sets out the rules for the transfer of personal data from Europol to third countries and international organisations. Since the entry into application of the Regulation (1 May 2017), and pursuant to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Commission is responsible, on behalf of the Union, for negotiating international agreements with third countries for the exchange of personal data with Europol.

    Taking into account the political strategy as outlined in the European agenda on security and the potential benefits of closer cooperation in this area, the Commission considers it necessary to start negotiations in the short-term with eight countries, as identified in the 11th progress report towards a genuine and effective Security Union.

    The 2016-2020 Europol strategy identifies the Mediterranean region as priority for enhanced partnerships. The 2017-2020 Europol external strategy also stresses the need for closer cooperation between Europol and the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) due to the current terrorist threat and migration-related challenges.

    EU-Tunisia relations date back to 1976. EU support to the Tunisian people covers many policy areas, including accompanying the electoral process, promoting human rights, supporting democratic and socioeconomic reforms, improving security and strengthening civil society.

    In the context of the revision of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) three additional areas for cooperation were identified: 1) economic development for stabilisation; 2) the security dimension and 3) migration and mobility.

    Based on data available as well as Europol's in-house expert knowledge, cooperation with Tunisia is needed in particular to counter the following crime phenomena:

    • terrorism: terrorist groups operating in the region and across the borders (including in Libya and the Sahel) pose a threat to Tunisia and the EU, which have both been targeted by terrorist attacks;
    • migration-related challenges: organised migrant smuggling activity has significantly increased in 2017, with Tunisian nationals in particular using organised smuggling networks to facilitate their irregular migration to the EU;
    • firearms trafficking: firearms trafficking has drastically increased in the region as a result of protracted conflicts in Libya. Trafficking routes via Tunisia from Libya and the Sahel are a serious problem;
    • drug trafficking: the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a major source, transit point, and consumer of illicit drugs. Tunisia appears an important transit country for Latin American cocaine bound for Europe.

    CONTENT: the purpose of this Recommendation for a Council Decision is to obtain from the Council an authorisation from the Council for the Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the European Union, an agreement between the European Union and Tunisia on the exchange of personal data between the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the Tunisian competent authorities for fighting serious crime and terrorism.

    In order to respect the principle of purpose limitation, cooperation under the agreement shall only cover forms of crime and related criminal offences for which Europol is competent. In particular, cooperation should aim to combat terrorism and prevent radicalisation, disrupt organised crime, including trafficking of migrants, firearms and drugs, and combat cybercrime.

    The agreement should respect fundamental rights and observe the principles recognised by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular the right to private and family life, the right to the protection of personal data, and the right to effective remedy and fair trial.

activities/3
date
2018-06-27T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2018-0237&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A8-0237/2018
body
EP
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting committee decision
New
Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
activities/2
date
2018-06-20T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
committees
procedure/Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 150
activities
  • date: 2017-12-20T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2017/0807/COM_COM(2017)0807_EN.pdf title: COM(2017)0807 type: Non-legislative basic document published celexid: CELEX:52017PC0807:EN type: Non-legislative basic document published body: EC commission: DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/migration-and-home-affairs_en title: Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner: AVRAMOPOULOS Dimitris
  • date: 2018-06-14T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Constitutional Affairs committee: AFCO body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Foreign Affairs committee: AFET body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgets committee: BUDG body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgetary Control committee: CONT body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: METSOLA Roberta group: ECR name: STEVENS Helga group: ALDE name: PETERSEN Morten Helveg group: GUE/NGL name: ERNST Cornelia group: Verts/ALE name: TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria responsible: True committee: LIBE date: 2018-03-19T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: MORAES Claude
  • date: 2018-07-04T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote in plenary scheduled
committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Constitutional Affairs committee: AFCO
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Foreign Affairs committee: AFET
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgets committee: BUDG
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgetary Control committee: CONT
  • body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: METSOLA Roberta group: ECR name: STEVENS Helga group: ALDE name: PETERSEN Morten Helveg group: GUE/NGL name: ERNST Cornelia group: Verts/ALE name: TERRICABRAS Josep-Maria responsible: True committee: LIBE date: 2018-03-19T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: MORAES Claude
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/migration-and-home-affairs_en title: Migration and Home Affairs commissioner: AVRAMOPOULOS Dimitris
procedure
dossier_of_the_committee
LIBE/8/12871
geographical_area
Tunisia
reference
2018/2063(INI)
title
Proposal to open negotiations on the Commission recommendation for a Council decision authorising the opening of negotiations for an agreement between the EU and Tunisia on the exchange of personal data between Europol and the Tunisian competent authorities for fighting serious crime and terrorism
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure EP 108
stage_reached
Awaiting committee decision
type
INI - Own-initiative procedure
subject