At their meeting on 3 March 2022, the Home Affairs Ministers of the EU Member States approved a short declaration on Interpol’s red notices. Red notices are the means by which Interpol electronically disseminates requests by national law enforcement authorities to locate and provisionally arrest persons who are wanted for extradition, surrender or similar legal action. Although red notices must comply with Interpol’s constitution and rules, some countries abuse them against “politically undesirable persons”.

The Council declaration (not yet public) welcomed the progress made by Interpol in setting up internal mechanisms to assess any violation of Interpol’s constitution prior to the publication and diffusion of red notices. Interpol is, however, invited to maintain a regular dialogue with the Council working groups and exchange information how the abuse of red notices for political reasons or violation of human rights can be prevented.