A timely and effective sharing of information could save lives, including the lives of missing children at risk. The European Union has a range of instruments and information-sharing systems at the disposal of our security and border authorities. Interoperability is about making these systems useful, by connecting them with each other.
Although it is often considered a merely technical concept, it should not be disconnected from the opportunities it brings to support the detection of missing children.
Nevertheless, the value of our security information is maximised not only when systems talk to each other, but also when border and law enforcement experts talk to each other. With more and more missing persons cases involving several countries, ensuring that information about endangered missing children is shared across borders is essential. AMBER Alert Europe calls for the appointment of a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for endangered missing children on a national level, acting as the first point of contact for other EU member states when a child goes missing and might have crossed the border.
With view to the publication of the legislative proposal by end of 2017, AMBER Alert Europe is ready to engage with the European Commission and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that this opportunity is not missed.
For more read here our position on interoperability.
