Europe - in brief (10)
01 January 1991
Europe - in brief
artdoc June=1994
* Effects of the Schengen Agreement: the Dutch paper Kleintje
Muurkrant draws attention to the effect of the Schengen Agreement
and to the Schengen Information System (SIS). Although the start
of the SIS has been delayed due to conflicting computer software
the paper says that too little attention has been paid to the
effects of exchanging information on individuals. It uses the
example of a foreign correspondent from a non-EU newspaper who
was expelled from Greece for criticising its government's
decision not to recognise Macedonia. Under the SIS the individual
would be registered as an `undesirable' alien in all member
states. The person could only be admitted to another country if
it served a humanitarian purpose or the national interest - and
this state would have to guarantee that the person would not
damage Greek interests. Kleintje Muurkrant, 17.2.94.
* Croatia: UK officer to be prosecuted: The Commander of the UK
warship Sir Geraint, David Gerard, is being prosecuted by the
Croatian customs for violating regulations. The Commander was
responsible for a container being held in warehouses in Split
which was meant to be holding petrol and gas but was found to be
explosives and military equipment. Customs officials became
suspicious when the key was allegedly lost. They broken the lock
and found the real cargo list inside. Balkan News, 6.2.94.
* Schengen expansion? Despite the delay in the Schengen
Information System going on-line - because of software problems -
the nine EU Schengen countries are proceeding with the
assumption that it is also going to be the European Information
System (the planned EU-wide computer system covering policing and
immigration). Dr Bernd Schmidbauer, the Minister who is the
current President-in-Office of Schengen, told the Civil Liberties
Committee of the European Parliament in March that they had
started talks with Austria. Denmark is now considering observer
status with Schengen and the EEA countries about to join the EU
are `aligning themselves with the system for when they join the
Community'.
This leaves two non-Schengen countries, the UK and Ireland,
with no say. The director-general of the UK's National Criminal
Intelligence System, Mr Pacey told Police Review: `I'm always
nervous when there's a European police institution being
established with nine signatories and we are not playing our part
in its development. If at some stage in the future we want to
join, it may not be the institution we would have preferred had
we been in a position to influence its development'.
Statewatch Vol 4 no 2, March-April 1994
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