EU:The Government is expected to sign up to a proposal that would give EU police forces access to personal information on Irish citizens held on national databases.
Fingerprints, DNA data and car registration numbers could all be requested by EU police forces investigating crimes involving Irish citizens. Joint police patrols, deployment of armed "sky marshals" on aircraft and allowing police to carry out "hot pursuits" across borders are also part of the proposal.
Germany, current holder of the EU presidency, tabled the initiative yesterday at a meeting of European justice ministers in Dresden, describing it as a vital tool in the fight against international crime and terrorism. Under the plan, Germany wants to transpose into European law a treaty, known as the Treaty of Prüm, which has already been agreed outside EU institutions by 11 states, including Germany, France and Austria.
Ireland and Britain retain opt- outs on justice matters, but German interior minister Wolfgang Schaüble said he expected both states to support the plan. A spokesman for the Government welcomed the German initiative.
"Ireland has generally been supportive of measures to strengthen police co-operation at EU level. We recognise that Germany's initiative could bring benefits in this field," he said.
Dr Schaüble also said the US government had expressed an interest in getting involved in the project to access personal information to help combat terrorism.
But civil liberties campaigners such as Statewatch criticise the proposal for giving law enforcement agencies too much power. For example, even if an individual does not have a criminal record and their DNA is not stored on a database, EU police forces can request a sample to be taken by the Garda Síochána.
There are also concerns about the lack of accountability in transposing such a treaty into EU law, which will not allow states to change the legislation in the normal way laws are negotiated within the EU institutions.
"The idea that measures should only be subject to scrutiny after they have been adopted cannot be squared with meaningful democratic accountability - by this stage they are set in stone," said Statewatch editor Tony Bunyan.
Even if certain member states oppose the plan, Germany has already signalled it will try to force it through under "enhanced co-operation". This allows a minimum of eight member states to adopt a proposal even if the remaining members choose not to take part in the initiative.