The research in this doctoral thesis examines the protection of personal data in two relationships: between judicial and law enforcement authorities of the EU Member States (including Europol and Eurojust) on the one hand and the US on the other hand. The book provides answers to the central question as to whether the EU complies with her own standards of data protection in these internal relations, as well as in the transatlantic cooperation in criminal matters. The new framework decision on data protection in criminal matters that entered into force in early 2009 is a significant element in this study, alongside the agreement concluded between the EU and the US on the mutual assistance in criminal matters of which the entry into force is equally planned for 2009. The book also reflects on the policy proposals of the EU on justice and home affairs for the period of 2010-2014. [Siracusa Prizewinner - This book was awarded the 2014 Siracusa Prize of the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP-IAPL), Paris. The 2014 Siracusa Prize is delivered on the occasion of the XIXth International Congress of Penal Law, Rio de Janeiro Paris.]

The rapid development of information technology has exacerbated the need for robust personal data protection, the right to which is safeguarded by both European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (CoE) instruments. Safeguarding this important right entails new and significant challenges as technological advances expand the frontiers of areas such as surveillance, communication interception and data storage. This handbook is designed to familiarise legal practitioners not specialised in data protection with this emerging area of the law. It provides an overview of the EU’s and the CoE’s applicable legal frameworks. It also explains key case law, summarising major rulings of both the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights. In addition, it presents hypothetical scenarios that serve as practical illustrations of the diverse issues encountered in this ever-evolving field.

One of the most dynamic areas of EU law since the great changes brought to the EU constitutional order by the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999 has been cooperation in the fields of policing and criminal justice. Both fields have already been the subject of substantial legislative effort in the EU and an increasing amount of judicial activity in the European Court of Justice. In 2007 - after the Constitutional Treaty of 2004 failed - the new Reform Treaty planned very substantive changes to these policies. Bringing together a wide-ranging set of topics and contributors, this book enables readers to understand these changes by examining three key questions: how did we get to the Reform Treaty; what have been - and still are - the key struggles in competence; and how do the changes fit into the transformation of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU?

Privacy and data protection in police work and law enforcement cooperation has always been a challenging issue. Current developments in EU internal security policy, such as increased information sharing (which includes the exchange of personal data between European law enforcement agencies and judicial actors in the area of freedom, security and justice (Europol, Eurojust, Frontex and OLAF)) and the access of EU agencies, in particular Europol and Eurojust, to data stored in European information systems such as the SIS (II), VIS, CIS or Eurodac raise interesting questions regarding the balance between the rights of individuals and security interests. This book deals with the complexity of the relations between these actors and offers for the first time a comprehensive overview of the structures for information exchange in the area of freedom, security and justice and their compliance with data protection rules in this field.

The aim of this handbook is to raise awareness and improve knowledge of data protection rules in European Union and Council of Europe member states by serving as the main point of reference to which readers can turn. It is designed for non-specialist legal professionals, judges, national data protection authorities and other persons working in the field of data protection.

This volume discusses EU criminal justice from three perspectives. The first concerns fundamental rights following the adoption of the directives that have progressively reinforced the cornerstone of procedural rights of suspects and defendants in national criminal proceedings in the EU member states so as to facilitate judicial cooperation. The second perspective relates to transnational criminal investigations and proceedings, which are seen as a cross section of the current state of judicial cooperation in the area of freedom, security and justice, with the related issues of efficiency, coordination, settlement of conflicts of jurisdiction, and guarantees. The third perspective concerns the development of a supranational justice system in the light of the recently established European Public Prosecutor’s Office, whose European judicial nature still coexists with strong national components.