COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 27 May 1999

on combating international crime with fuller cover of the routes used

(1999/C 162/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

CONCERNED at cross-border crime, which is often linked to certain overland, waterway or air routes,

CONFIRMING its determination to make the European Union an area of freedom, security and justice,

ENDEAVOURING further to improve practical cooperation between police services in the Member States,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT Joint Action 97/12/JHA of 20 December 1996 providing a common prgramme for the exchange and training of, and cooperation between, law-enforcement authorities "Oisin"(1) -

HAS ADOPTED THIS RESOLUTION:

1. Coordinated route-policing projects may be carried out on recognised routes, where appropriate with the support of Europol, by the Member States in line with national legal provisions and jurisdiction and with due respect for national sovereignty, deploying forces, methods and equipment appropriate to the situation, in order to combat a specific form of crime on the basis of a coordinated policy. The customs and other competent authorities will be involved in appropriate cases.

2. Route-policing projects may extend to the whole territory of the Union or to certain regions.

3. The purpose of such deployment on specific routes will be to ensure that the police achieve optimum results in the prevention and detection of offences, to improve coordination of joint police action and communication and to obtain additional intelligence on cirminal behaviour and methods of committing crimes.

4. Member States aparticipating in the route-policing project may, with the support of Europol, undertake a joint evaluation and will, in the case of regional measures, also inform the other Member States of the results. In this process their principal endeavour will be to develop measures designed further to improve route strategies. In so doing, they will in particular evaluate what new forms of prevention and detection of cross-border crime may be developed, taking account of freedom of movement within the European Union.

5. The provision of personal data will be governed by national law and by international conventions; Articles 126 to 128 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement will apply as appropriate.

(1) OJ L 7, 10.1.1997, p. 5.