EU States Lack Intelligence-Sharing to Combat Common Threats

European Union member states lack data sharing capabilities and should boost intelligence-sharing with Russia to counter common threats like the Daesh terror group, Member of the European Parliament Ivan Stefanec told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The EU Counterterrorism Coordinator revealed in a 2015 report that a number of member states were not connected to the Interpol crime database, failed to adequately track foreign fighters, and did not properly document border crossings within the bloc’s visa-free Schengen zone.

"I'd like to see firstly better information sharing in the European Union because there is still not enough information sharing between [EU] countries," Stefanec stated on Thursday.

When asked whether his home country of Slovakia should increase intelligence-sharing with Russia, Stefanec said, "I am not against information sharing on the common enemy like ISIS [Daesh]. So, the answer is yes. We would like to share information and would like to talk about common interests."

Gaps in the European Union’s information-sharing practices came under scrutiny following the deadly terror attacks in Paris and Brussels.