EU:Ireland and Britain have blocked an EU plan to enable police forces to operate across national boundaries because of sensitivities over the Border with Northern Ireland.
Both countries have signed up to share DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data with all 27 EU member states to help fight cross-border crime and terrorism.
However, at a meeting of justice ministers in Brussels yesterday, Ireland and Britain objected to a proposal to allow police to cross national borders in hot pursuits to avert "immediate danger to life and limb".
Despite support for the proposal from all other member states, Germany - holder of the six-month rotating EU presidency - agreed that the European Commission should revisit this element of the plan at a later date.
"There are some specific problems for the United Kingdom and Ireland and everyone who knows those questions is aware of that, so it's not a surprise," said German interior minister Dr Wolfgang Schäuble. "I only need mention the concerns in Northern Ireland and I think you know what I'm talking about."
Irish and British officials said their non-involvement in the EU open border system, known as the Schengen zone, meant it was difficult for them to accept this part of the plan.
The only land border between the two states is Northern Ireland, where alleged security force incursions were regularly a source of controversy during the Troubles.
A British spokeswoman said Britain's unique geographical position, together with its tradition of co-operating bilaterally with other states on policing issues, meant that it saw no need for the hot-pursuit measures proposed in the draft EU plan to be applied.
Meanwhile, the decision to sign up to EU data-sharing means the Garda Síochána will be able to search police databases for people suspected of committing crime in the Republic.
Other EU police forces will also be able to search Irish databases, including the proposed new DNA database announced recently by the Government.
Austria and Germany, which began sharing DNA data in December 2006, have already matched almost 3,000 DNA samples in criminal investigations.
Some 32 matches relate to homicides, according to Dr Schäuble, who said cross-border data-sharing was proving a "very effective means to tackle crime and terrorism".
Civil liberties campaigners, including the British group Statewatch, have expressed privacy concerns about giving police forces access to national DNA databases.
They also object to sweeping powers in the proposal which enable EU police forces to request DNA samples to be taken from suspects - even if they have no criminal records - by the Garda Síochána.
However, Irish and EU officials said data-protection safeguards would be implemented and trawls of databases would not be allowed.
Instead, police forces would have to make specific inquiries by attempting to match DNA samples with samples on the database.
Any request for DNA swabs by EU police forces would have to conform to national law, according to officials.
The German presidency of the EU said last night that it would aim to get the political agreement on data-sharing incorporated into EU law by June 30th.