EU plans to extend the Schengen Information System

09.Dec.01 - "EU plans to extend the Schengen Information System (SIS) to: i) create EU database to target "suspected" protestors and bar them from entering a country where a protest is planned; ii) create EU database of all "foreigners" to remove third country nationals who have not left within the "prescribed time frame"

The Council of the European Union (the 15 EU governments) are discussing plans to create two new dedicated databases on the Schengen Information System (SIS). The first database would cover public order and protests and lead to:

"Barring potentially dangerous persons from participating in certain events [where the person is] notoriously known by the police forces for having committed recognised facts of public order disturbance" "Targeted" suspects would be tagged with an "alert" on the SIS and barred from entry the country where the protest or event was taking place.

The second database would be a register of all third country nationals in the EU who will be tagged with an "alert" if they overstay their visa or residence permit - this follows a call by the German government for the creation of a "centralised register".

Both of these new databases are being put forward under the post 11 September "Anti-terrorism roadmap" (item 45 on the version of 15.11.01, to "Improve input of alerts into the SIS").

more information: go here for a longer more detailed version of this article | another Background article on the Schengen Information System (SIS) from Statewatch bulletin | EU plans the surveillance of protestors and the criminalisation of protests - pdf file | 'Foreigners' registers and the European Commission's Communication on illegal immigration - pdf file | all this information has been provided by statewatch