The EU places too much emphasis on fundamental rights including privacy and too little on law enforcement — an imbalance should be corrected, the Swedish government has told member states’ delegations.
A Swedish letter, known in EU jargon as a “non-paper”, was distributed to the other 26 governments in the Council in June.
In the five-page document, published by Statewatch, a civil liberties NGO, Sweden argues for the need for a “fundamental change of perspective” in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.
The call comes after more than a year of Swedish work in the EU to facilitate access to encrypted data traffic and encrypted content on computers and phones.
The Swedish government states: “proposals with law enforcement purposes are too often watered down during the legislative process, citing an imbalance of interests in relation to fundamental rights (including the right to privacy) and distrust of law enforcement authorities.”
And:”law enforcement authorities and other actors focussing on victims’ rights and crime prevention need to have more say in the EU policy-making process [bold in original].”
Sweden now proposes that the EU Council, the European Parliament, and the European Commission agree on what it calls a New SecEUrity Package, a working plan for fighting crime in the coming years.
