By Georgi Gotev | EurActiv.com

Date: 15/12/2016

Premier Lars Løkke Rasmussen was offered an arrangement for Denmark to continue using the Europol database today (15 December), to help minimise the consequences of the 2015 referendum in which Danes maintained their opt-out from EU justice and home affairs.

Meeting ahead of the EU summit, Rasmussen and Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker adopted a Declaration stating the conditions of the deal, according to which Denmark will have a specific membership of Europol.

EU member Denmark voted to keep its opt-out from the bloc’s justice rules in a referendum last year, meaning the country will need a separate agreement to access Europol information when new EU regulations come into force in May next year.

“This arrangement would be conditioned on Denmark’s continued membership of the European Union and of the Schengen area, on Denmark’s obligation to fully implement in Danish law Directive 2016/680/EU on data protection in police matters by 1 May 2017 and on Denmark’s agreement to the application of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and the competence of the European Data Protection Supervisor,” the declarations says.
The sides will ensure that the new arrangements be in place by 1 May 2017, “or as rapidly as possible thereafter”.

The Commission offered the special arrangement to Denmark after Europol warned that Islamic State group militants could be on European soil, evolving their tactics to attack soft targets and using deadly car bombs.