European Union Home Affairs Ministers have agreed to boost the fight against crime – particularly internet crime – by hyping up the co-operation between their law enforcement authorities.

Meeting during the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union last week, attended by Justice and Home Affairs Minister, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, the Ministers agreed to further the cooperation between their law enforcement authorities in the fight against crime and especially the fight against internet crime.

This further cooperation between the police forces is intended to take the form of the sharing of information and the sharing of experience especially that arising from analysis, which could lead to the prevention of crimes.

The Ministers also agreed to build and develop a system to share of information on convictions, known as ECRIS. In a Europe where citizens have the freedom of movement and the freedom to settle, live and work anywhere in the European Union, it is important for the law enforcement authorities to have access to the records on convictions of certain persons.

The system agreed to at the meeting is not a centralised criminal records database, as these will remain in the hands of the Member States to operate. It is merely facilitating the exchange of information by creating a standardized format for such exchange.

One other important item on the agenda is the facilitation of the recognition and enforcement, in the Member States, of a maintenance obligation decision given by another Member State.

This will improve the situation of all those family members who are suffering injustices because they do not have the possibility and the means to seek the enforcement of maintenance due to them that could have been granted in another Member State. Now they will be able to do so.

This proposal will be implemented by means of a system of cooperation established between competent authorities of each Member State which cooperation will lead to the facilitation of recovery of such maintenance claims.