Police cooperation: cross-border assistance with regard to meetings attended by large numbers of people from more than one Member State. Initiative Netherlands

 The committee adopted the report by Frieda BREPOELS (EPP-ED, BE) broadly approving the proposed decision on strengthening cross-border police cooperation with regard to large meetings attended by people from more than one Member State. It adopted a few amendments under the consultation procedure:

- it should be emphasised that the proposed measures must in no way contravene the proportionality and subsidiarity principles or European rules on the protection of privacy;

- although the proposal provides that, for the purpose of drawing up an overview of the international assistance which may be required in the following year, the relevant information should be submitted by the Member States to the Presidency by 30 October each year, MEPs pointed out that some international events cannot be planned far in advance and that provision should therefore be made for adding an "unanticipated event" to the list;

- the clause stipulating that the proposed report on the results of the actions developed should be confidential was deleted, as MEPs felt that it should be rendered public and presented to other EU institutions;

- the Council Secretariat's task of conducting background research into forms of cooperation between the Member States should not be limited to a one-off stock-taking of existing agreements; instead, it should be carried out on an ongoing basis and should cover new initiatives and those in the process of being developed.