Support Our Work Mailing list About / Contact

Schengen: Belgian police chief critic

01 May 1997

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

The head of the Belgian International Police Cooperation section of the Algemene Politiesteundienst (General Police Support service), Patrick Zanders, has criticised aspects of the Schengen treaty. In a long report written in response to questions put by the chair of the Parliamentary Commission into organised crime Zanders claims that the Schengen treaty has "in practise only a marginal effect on practical police cooperation".

Schengen is discussed in some detail in the report. Zanders is complimentary about the Schengen Information System, saying that it has "delivered impressive results". He also claims that Schengen has improved international police cooperation. However, Zanders calls for a review of the procedures for cross-border pursuit and observation. The Schengen treaty makes any agreement reached on the basis of the treaty subject to bilateral arrangements between the countries involved. Zanders states that "these methods are difficult to perform and do not work in practise... In regards to cross border operational cooperation Schengen collapses into bilateral cooperation networks."

Parlementaire Commissie van onderzoek naar Georganiseerde Misdaad Hoorzitting, 25.4.97.

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 Previous article

Schengen: parliament to have no control

Next article 

Europe - in brief (8)

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error

Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.

About | Contact | Privacy Policy