“Implementing what is permissible and urgently needed”

type:
News

, Topic:
Security

, Date:
20 September 2022

Source:
Henning Schacht

Speaking about today’s judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on data retention, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: 

“The European Court of Justice has provided a clear rule-of-law framework. It has also specified once again which data may be retained to protect national security and combat serious crime. 

The European Court of Justice has expressly ruled that IP addresses may be retained to tackle serious crime. In addition, the court allows special data retention rules for places such as airports or railway stations and for areas with a high incidence of crime. This ruling of the European Court of Justice is very important for fighting serious crime and for safeguarding our internal security. 

We must use this legal framework to take decisive action against organised crime, extremist and terrorist threats and other forms of serious crime. This is not an ideological issue for me. I do not want to continue old debates, but rather act pragmatically. The coalition agreement builds on today’s ruling of the European Court of Justice and provides us with the opportunity to implement what is permissible and urgently needed. 

In this context, taking resolute measures to combat sexualised violence against children is especially important to me. It is deeply disturbing that, in 2021, an average of 49 children in Germany became victims of sexualised violence every day. Protecting children is the top priority of our investigating authorities. No one who abuses children should feel safe from prosecution. It is absolutely necessary to retain the data that help us to identify the perpetrators – and today’s judgment allows us to do so.”