Rioting prompts fear of ‘cross-border criminality’

The interior ministers of Germany and France want an urgent meeting with their colleagues across the EU to discuss how to prevent a repeat of the rioting that marred this weekend’s European summit in Sweden.

Germany’s Otto Schily and Daniel Vaillant of France are seeking talks as soon as possible to agree a ‘‘coordinated and hard response to this new form of extremist, cross-border criminality,’’ Schily’s office said today.

In particular, measures needed to taken to protect next month’s G8 summit in Genoa, Italy, it said in a statement.

Swedish police mobilised 4,000 officers, including mounted riot police, but struggled to quell rioting before and during the EU summit in Gothenburg.

More than 70 people were injured, including three who suffered gunshot wounds.

Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said yesterday his country would join France, which suffered from clashes during its turn presiding over the 15-nation bloc, in discussing with police how to better handle similar situations in the future.

’’Bands of criminals are systematically trying to disrupt political summit meetings,’’ playing up to the media and exploiting the presence of peaceful demonstrators, Schily said in a statement.

He called on national security agencies to exchange more information on rioters and suggested known troublemakers could be prevented from travelling abroad. This approach is used in several European countries to prevent hooligans from attending international football matches.

The Genoa summit on July 20-22 will bring together the leaders of the world’s seven wealthiest countries and Russia.

Groups opposed to what they say is globalisation’s negative impact on the poor and developing world began disrupting international meetings at a World Trade Organisation conference in Seattle, Washington, in 1999.