Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 November 2018 on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters

On 28 November 2018, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

The Schengen Information System (SIS) is a large-scale information database that supports external border control and law enforcement cooperation between the Schengen states. It allows competent authorities, such as police and border guards, to enter and consult alerts on certain categories of wanted or missing persons and lost or stolen property.

The new Regulation aims to improve and extend the use of the SIS in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. To that end, the Regulation creates new alerts and checks, extends the use of biometrics, provides for wider access to the SIS database for law enforcement authorities and finally, introduces additional safeguards to ensure that the collection and processing of, and access to, data is limited to what is strictly necessary, in full respect of EU legislation and fundamental rights.