Police data exchange with US military

7.8.2017

Question for written answer E-005181-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Sabine Lösing (GUE/NGL)

The EU police agency Europol will soon be processing fingerprints and DNA traces which the US military collects in war zones and stores in the Vennlig information system. This exchange of data is taking place as part of Operation Gallant Phoenix, a US military intelligence project in Jordan. Alongside Gallant Phoenix, the US Government has offered some EU Member States the possibility of establishing a data bank on ‘foreign fighters’ against which the biometric data of incoming refugees can be checked.

1. How is it intended to relaunch the Vennlig and Hamah projects, who will be participating, and what personal data will be stored there?

2. When will Europol be appointing a liaison officer for Gallant Phoenix, and to what information systems is this person likely to be given reading and writing access?

3. Who will be given the task of setting up Vennlig and putting it into operation, and who will operate the system after foreign military staff have been withdrawn from Iraq?