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European Information Exchange Model (EIXM)

Exchange of information constitutes the central aspect of EU law enforcement cooperation. Timely access to accurate and up-to-date information and criminal intelligence is essential for national law enforcement authorities to successfully detect, prevent and investigate crime or criminal activity. Through EIXM, the EU ensures better security for all.

Coherent approach

The Hague Programme and the Stockholm Programme highlighted the need for coherence and consolidation in developing exchanges of information and criminal intelligence in the EU.

Over the past years, the processing and sharing of information and criminal intelligence have improved cross-border cooperation between national law enforcement authorities and enhanced the safety of EU citizens.

EIXM seeks to take stock of information exchanges for the purposes of criminal investigations and criminal intelligence operations within the EU and with the four EFTA states (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

Cross-border information exchange

Initially, EIXM was a mapping exercise that focused on the following four aspects of cross-border information exchange:

  1. EU and national legislation regulating cross-border exchanges of information and criminal intelligence, yielding a map of legislation
  2. communication channels through which information and criminal intelligence are exchanged, yielding a map of communication channels
  3. the actual flow of information and criminal intelligence between the relevant actors, yielding a map of information flows
  4. databases and IT solutions used to exchange information and criminal intelligence, yielding a map of technological solutions.

As called on the Commission by the Stockholm Programme, this assessment includes an evaluation of the current instruments, such as the Prüm Decision and the so-called Swedish Initiative. In this context, the Commission closely cooperates with EU States, Europol, Eurojust and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS).

Subsequently, EIXM will develop, on the basis of the mapping exercise, recommendations for achieving better coherence and consolidation in the area of information exchange. In 2012, this ongoing work will be presented in a Communication to the Council and the European Parliament.