The European Parliament in Strasbourg has adopted a regulation that strengthens the legal obligation of Member States to exchange data on terrorist offences with the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust).

According to EP Rapporteur Patryk Jaki (ECR Group), “too often, counter-terrorism investigations are hampered by a lack of information sharing between EU countries. We wanted to make sure that data is exchanged at an early stage of investigation and that the exchange includes all necessary types of data”.

The proposal aims to address the shortcomings of the technically outdated system used by Eurojust and to create a modern, digital case management system to store and cross-check information. It will enable Eurojust to better identify links between cross-border investigations and prosecutions in the field of terrorism, to proactively inform Member States of the links found and to facilitate cooperation with third countries.

“I am confident that this law can illuminate the links between different investigations and help authorities to gain the whole picture. As a result, it will create a system that enhances our security and makes the European Union safer”, Jaki said.

The text was adopted with 623 in favour 26 against and 4 abstentions.