#Europol data leak: Director Wainwright and Commissioner King must explain before Parliament

Dutch Radio Zembla has reported a leak of documents on international terrorism investigations by European Police Office, Europol, who seem to have failed to protect very sensitive information. Reacting to this scandal, European liberals and democrats call on Commissioner King and the director of Europol, Rob Wainwright, to come to the European Parliament to explain and clarify the facts related to this reported leak. 

Sophie in ’t Veld, ALDE spokesperson for data protection, said: “This is extremely shocking. Europol was aware of this security incident since September, yet its director decided not to inform the parliament during a joint meeting of the European Parliament and the national Parliaments on Europol scrutiny just two days ago. This case proves once again that data protection is not an obstacle to security, but an absolute precondition. It is essential for information exchange and police co-operation.

“This leak damages trust in Europol and trust in information exchange, which is our top priority in the security agenda. Information sharing is essential for security".

The ALDE group has called for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny for Europol, as the group already proposed when amending the new regulation on Europol, which will enter into force in Spring 2017.

Morten Helveg Petersen, ALDE spokesperson for Europol, added: “These worrying developments highlight the need for parliamentary scrutiny as set out in the new Europol regulation and the crucial role that the European Data Protection Supervisor must play in ensuring that processes as well as systems are fit for purpose.

“These processes are key to building the trust that is needed between Europol, member states, and citizens on the way Europol handles data. If we want national agencies to exchange more data, Europol to take on greater responsibility in fighting terrorism, we have to make sure all the data handling systems, processes, and procedures are working properly.”

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