92001E2364

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2364/01

by Marco Cappato (TDI) to the Council

(3 August 2001)

Subject: G8 in Genoa and EU data bases

The Schengen Information System (SIS) was set up to store data concerning persons reported or wanted for arrest, such data being directly supplied by the competent

authorities of the Member States. On the occasion of the G8 in Genoa, Italy suspended the Schengen Convention and re-introduced checks at the Italian borders. However, despite those checks, many people, including people from outside Italy, caused physical injuries to persons and damage to property in Genoa. Various sources have confirmed that some of the perpetrators were already known to the police, evidently because they were reported on Community data bases on grounds of public policy or public safety.

Would the Council clarify the following points:

- Was the SIS data base consulted by the Italian authorities when the border checks were carried out for the G8? If so, how many people were refused entry at the border on the basis of data supplied by the SIS?

- Were some of the people arrested during the G8 already entered on the SIS data base or other Community data bases because they had a criminal record of crimes of violence? If so, on what grounds were they allowed to enter Italian territory?

- Were the data concerning persons arrested or reported during the Göteborg European Council and other demonstrations entered in the SIS or other Community data bases?

Reply

(29 November 2001)

The question of the Honourable Member refers to the use of the SIS database by the Italian public authorities in connection with the G8 in Genoa.

As the use of the SIS database by these public authorities is a matter of national responsibility, the Council is not able to inform whether and how the Italian authorities consulted the SIS database at the border checks carried out for the G8 and what the possible results of these checks were regarding the refusal of entry onto Italian territory. However, the Council wishes to clarify that a suspension of the Schengen Convention on the basis of Article 2(2) of the Schengen Convention only concerns the re-introduction of border checks at internal borders and does not have an impact on the availability and/or functioning of the SIS.

The Council is equally unable to answer the second question as it has no information on what persons were arrested during the G8.

As to the question whether data concerning persons arrested or reported in Göteborg were entered in SIS, it is recalled that this is a responsibility of the Swedish authorities and, moreover, it should be kept in mind that according to Article 94 of the Schengen Convention(1), data can only be entered as required for the purposes laid down in Articles 95 to 100.

(1) OJ L 239, 22.9.2000.