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Council Decision 2009/934/JHA of 30 November 2009 adopting the implementing rules governing Europol’s relations with partners, including the exchange of personal data and classified information

Council Decision 2009/934/JHA of 30 November 2009 adopting the implementing rules governing Europol’s relations with partners, including the exchange of personal data and classified information

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to Council Decision 2009/371/JHA of 6 April 2009 establishing the European Police Office (Europol)(1) (the Europol Decision) and in particular Articles 26(1)(b) and 59(1)(c) thereof,

Having regard to the draft rules submitted by the Management Board, on which the Joint Supervisory Body has issued an opinion,

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament,

  1. Whereas in accordance with the Europol Decision, it is for the Council, acting by qualified majority after having consulted the European Parliament, to adopt implementing rules governing Europol’s relations with partners, including the exchange of personal data and classified information (hereinafter the rules),

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

TITLE I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1 Definitions

For the purposes of these rules,

  1. ‘third States’ as referred to in Article 23(1)(a) of the Europol Decision means States not being Member States of the European Union;

  2. ‘organisations’, as referred to in Article 23(1)(b) of the Europol Decision means organisations such as international organisations and their subordinate bodies governed by public law or other bodies governed by public law which are set up by, or on the basis of, an agreement between two or more States;

  3. ‘third parties’ means third States and organisations;

  4. ‘EU bodies’ means institutions, bodies, offices and agencies set up by, or on the basis of, the Treaty on European Union and the Treaties establishing the European Communities, as referred to in Article 22(1) of the Europol Decision;

  5. ‘personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person; an identifiable person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity;

  6. ‘classified information’ means any information and material in any form, an unauthorised disclosure of which could cause varying degrees of prejudice to the essential interests of Europol, of one or more Member States or of Europol’s cooperation partners, and that requires the application of appropriate security measures;

  7. ‘strategic agreement’ means an agreement allowing for the exchange of information, excluding personal data;

  8. ‘operational agreement’ means an agreement allowing for the exchange of information, including personal data;

  9. ‘cooperation agreement’ means either a strategic or an operational agreement;

  10. ‘working arrangement’ means an arrangement between Europol and an EU body on their cooperation, allowing for the exchange of information including personal data;

  11. ‘processing of personal data’ or ‘processing’ means any operation or set of operations performed upon personal data, whether or not by automatic means, such as collection, recording, organisation, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, blocking, erasure or destruction;

  12. ‘competent authorities’ means all public bodies existing in the Member States or in third States which are responsible under national law for preventing and combating criminal offences.

Article 2 Scope

These rules govern the relations of Europol with EU bodies and third parties, including the exchange of personal data and classified information and set out the procedures applicable to the negotiation and conclusion of cooperation agreements and working arrangements.

TITLE II CONCLUSION OF COOPERATION AGREEMENTS AND WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

Article 3 Establishment of relations with EU bodies

Article 4 Procedure for the conclusion of cooperation agreements or working arrangements with EU bodies

Article 5 Establishment of relations with third parties

Article 6 Procedure for the conclusion of cooperation agreements with third parties

Article 7 Information for the Management Board

TITLE III EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

CHAPTER I Receipt of information

Article 8 Receipt of information prior to the entry into force of an agreement

CHAPTER II Transmission of information

Article 9 Conditions for the transmission of information to EU bodies and third parties

Article 10 Responsibility for the transmission of data

Article 11 Transmission of information to EU bodies prior to the entry into force of a cooperation agreement or working arrangement

Article 12 Transmission of information to third parties prior to the entry into force of an agreement

Article 13 Transmission of information to third parties which are not included in the Council list

CHAPTER III Transmission of information in exceptional cases

Article 14 Transmission of personal data and classified information in exceptional cases

CHAPTER IV Specific conditions for the transmission of personal data

Article 15 Purposes for which personal data are transmitted

Article 16 Correction and deletion of personal data

CHAPTER V Onward transmission of data to EU bodies and third parties

Article 17 Competent authorities and onward transmission

Article 18 Conditions for onward transmission

CHAPTER VI Specific conditions for the receipt of information by Europol from third parties

Article 19 Assessment of the source and of the information

Article 20 Correction and deletion of information received by Europol

TITLE IV FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 21 Entry into force