EC is Preparing Criminal Proceedings against Bulgaria for Accessing Data from Criminal Record Certificates

The European Commission has announced that it is preparing criminal proceedings against Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, and Portugal for incorrect application of the rules on the exchange of data on criminal record certificates and the establishment of the relevant European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS).

The system operates with a decision from 2012 and allows electronic exchange of data from criminal record certificates between EU authorities. The Commission has found that these countries are not effectively connected to the system and do not update the data and that they do not respond to requests for information - on time or at all.

The states have two months to clarify the measures they have taken to properly implement the requirements, the commission said in a statement.

/BTA