Chamber of Deputies/ Draft on international police cooperation - adopted

The Deputies’ chamber adopted on Wednesday a draft law which regulates international police cooperation, with 240 votes in favour.The normative act provides for the creation of a legislative and institutional framework on international police cooperation for the prevention, investigation of offences, according to national regulations or treaties to which Romania is party and the legal instruments of the European Union, the specialized committees’ report says. According to the draft, international police cooperation will work in accordance with several principles of legality, equivalent access, availability, confidentiality, data ownership, data reliability, prevalence of judicial cooperation.The normative act stipulates that a single contact point for international police cooperation will be designated - the Centre for International Police Cooperation (CICP), a structure without legal personality within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police. The CCPI will be the competent authority responsible at national level for coordinating and facilitating the exchange of information under this law, except in cases where other authorities designated as national contact points in their own area of competence are given specific tasks by normative acts. The normative act stipulates that a single contact point for international police cooperation will be designated – the Centre for International Police Cooperation ( CCPI), a structure without legal personality within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police. The CCPI will be the competent authority responsible at national level for coordinating and facilitating the exchange of information under this law, except in cases where other authorities designated as national contact points in their own area of competence are given specific tasks by normative acts. CCIP will have access to information available of the Romanian competent authorities in meeting the purpose and ensuring information exchange, 24/7. CCIP will include the following structures, without limiting to these: Europol National Unit, National SIRENE Bureau: Interpol National Bureau; National Focal Point; Operational Support Service.In addition to these structures, the function of the Romanian Police Liaison Officer is provided for at the level of the CCPI, which ensures the operational liaison with the South-East European Law Enforcement Centre, established by the convention concluded in Bucharest on 9 December 2009 and signed by Romania in Bucharest on the same date, ratified by Law no. 250/2010. Also, in order to fulfil the tasks adequately, effectively and rapidly, the Operational Support Service will be set up within the CCPI, by redeploying or supplementing some posts by distribution from the vacant posts financed by the Romanian Police. In order to carry out specific activities, a single electronic case management system will be set up at the CCPI.   The draft also stipulates that the exchange of information will be carried out on the basis of a request for information sent by the competent authorities, via the CCPIC or directly by the designated authorities. The draft also includes, among others, regulations regarding cross-border pursuit on Romanian territory. According to them, the authorities of a Schengen state which, on their territory pursue a person caught in flagrante delicto during the commission of offences or who has escaped, will be able to continue the pursuit on the territory of the Romanian state, without prior information of the Romanian competent authorities, if several conditions are met.The Chamber of Deputies is the first body to be consulted, with the Senate being the decision-making body.