EU agrees to share DNA data and Web monitoring

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Police in the European Union will get automatic access to DNA databases across the bloc after EU interior ministers backed the plan on Tuesday.

Police from the 27 EU nations trying to track down a suspect by hair, sperm or fingernails, will be able to compare with all DNA data gathered for criminal investigation in other member states, via a contact point in each country.

The deal also allows police from different EU states to set up joint patrols.

The plan extends to all EU countries the Treaty of Pruem, signed initially by seven member states.

In their Luxembourg meeting, ministers also rubber-stamped a deal to better control who can enter the bloc by setting up a common database for visa applicants' pictures and fingerprints, and vowed to further strengthen joint monitoring of the Internet for terrorist activities.