EP: aanvragers visa voor Schengenlanden moeten foto en vingerafdrukken inleveren (en)

The Civil Liberties Committee gave its go-ahead on Tuesday to a draft regulation requiring Member States in the Schengen area to take the facial image and ten fingerprints from visa applicants wishing to enter EU territory. However, MEPs voted for a number of exemptions for children and diplomats as well as for stricter data protection.

Under the committee's first-reading amendments, children below the age of 12 will be exempted from giving fingerprints. Children will be also allowed to send scanned photographs, so they will not have to appear in person at the consulate.

In addition, Member States may allow exceptions from the requirement of collecting photographs and fingerprints (known as biometric identifiers) for holders of diplomatic passports.

In order to avoid all Member States having to install the necessary equipment for collecting biometrics in every consular office, the regulation allows Member States to cooperate with one or more EU countries in the creation of a joint centre in each country to deal with visa applications and the collection of biometrics.

For security and data protection reasons, MEPs added several amendments to ensure that cooperation with external service providers in the collection of fingerprints and photos is used only "as a last resort".  If this work is outsourced, consular officials will have to supervise the service provider and the Member State concerned will be liable for any breaches of strict data protection rules by that provider.

20/11/2007

Chair : Philip Bradbourn (EPP-ED, UK)

Procedure: Co-decision, first reading

Plenary vote: Strasbourg, January