Clarke pushes EU data sharing
Home office plans for a Europe-wide standard on the retention of communications data to tackle terrorism will be put to a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels today.
Charles Clarke called the emergency meeting of security ministers after last Thursday’s terror attacks on London and will use the opportunity to put forward proposals to increase the level of data sharing across the EU.
Top of the agenda are plans to establish a Europe-wide standard whereby companies in all member states would be required to retain mobile phone and internet information for a minimum period of time, either six months or a year.
First mooted in the wake of the Madrid bombings last year, with France, Ireland and Sweden all backing the idea, the proposals have gained new urgency following last week’s attacks.
Mr Clarke hopes that the proposed legislation, which will be based on the voluntary code that currently exists in Britain, will be passed by the end of the UK’s presidency of the EU.
He believes the standard, which would not involve any data content but only details on who called who and when, would enable security services to better track the movement of terrorists across the EU.
Currently, if a communications trail leads to a country such as Denmark or Germany where there is no obligation for companies to retain data, it could be stopped in its tracks.
The government is determined to increase cooperation across the EU on terrorism during its six-month presidency, and yesterday chancellor Gordon Brown said finance ministers from the 25 member states had agreed to crackdown on those who financed terrorists.
Speaking to the European parliament economic committee, he said: “As we intensify our shared campaign to identify and root out terrorist assets, all 25 finance ministers affirmed as one that, just as there can be no hiding place for terrorists, so there can never be any safe haven for those who finance terrorism.”
