December 3 (SeeNews) - The European Commission (EC) said it has decided to open infringement proceedings against Bulgaria, Greece and three other member states because of their incorrect application of EU rules on the exchange of criminal records information.
The Commission identified problems in those countries related to electronic interconnection and effective exchange of criminal records information via the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), as well as notification of all new convictions and updates on the convictions to the member state(s) of the offender's nationality, the EU's executive arm said in a statement on Thursday.
"Another reason for concern are the responses for requests for information on convictions: sometimes they were not given within deadlines, at other times no responses were given at all," the Commission noted.
The five member states now have two months to clarify the measures they have taken to ensure the correct application of these instruments in practice.
The ECRIS system, established in 2012, allows criminal records to be electronically exchanged between authorities throughout the EU. It ensures that the information is exchanged between EU countries in a uniform, fast and compatible way and also provides judges, prosecutors and other competent authorities with easy access to comprehensive information on the criminal history of persons concerned. It thus prevents offenders from escaping their criminal past when moving from one EU member state to another.