The effects of the Prüm Treaty and framework decision on the Maltese criminal justice system

Abstract

The evolution of the Union as we know it today went through various historical developments that could not go unnoticed. Going back to the Amsterdam Treaty, and tracing forward one could identify several changes in the field of Security and Justice, notable mentions are the Tampere Programme, The Hague Programme and the Prum Treaty. The key changes in this field came with the introduction of the Prum Council Decision and Framework, this included new technologies and training to enhance cooperation between Member States to battle terrorism and criminality. The sharing of DNA data, Fingerprints and Vehicle Registration information were the main focal point of the new legislation. But for the European Union to act alone this would result in a failure, therefore it was now down to each Member State to transpose the requirements and legislation set by the Union on a National basis and take all necessary measures to comply with what was required. Therefore, in this dissertation the researcher will delve further into the changes brought on a national level and their effects on the Maltese Criminal Justice system.