Cross-border paedophile case boosts EU cooperation on criminal records 

France, Spain and Germany have announced they will be linking up their criminal records' systems electronically from 2005 on. A joint statement issued by the three Member States called for this model to be used in setting up an EU-wide register “as soon as possible”. The trio's initiative emerged as EU justice ministers were discussing ways to share information on criminals convicted of serious crimes, in response to judicial shortcomings underlined by a Franco-Belgian serial murder investigation.

The case of Michel Fourniret, a French forest warden whom police said has confessed to nine murders on both sides of the Franco-Belgian border, has highlighted the lack of exchange of information on convicted murderers or sex offenders between Member States. Fourniret moved to Belgium to work in a school after his imprisonment in France for child sex offences, but Belgian authorities were unaware of his criminal record at the time of his employment.

Ministers gave the European Commission the go-ahead to prepare the necessary legislation for an electronic link-up of existing national registers during their Council meeting on 19 July. The Commission said it would put forward proposals in October. Under the forthcoming system, it will become easier for a host Member State to check someone's criminal record in the Member State of origin. Information about criminal records will circulate between Member States for criminal proceedings but also as a preventive measure when someone applies for a job for which their criminal record must be checked [e.g. working with children].