The EU parliament's official response to the Council of Ministers pressure to introduce biometrics to passports:
Enhanced safeguards for "biometric" passports
Carlos COELHO (EPP-ED, PT)
Report on the Commission proposal for a Council regulation on standards for security features and biometrics in EU citizens' passports
(COM(2004)0116 – C5-0101/2004 – 2004/0039(CNS))
Doc.: A6-0028/2004
Procedure: Consultation
Debate: 01.12.2004
Vote: 02.12.2004
Vote
The European Parliament agrees with the introduction of passports containing a facial image, since this biometric element will make it very difficult to falsify passports. The biometric data will ensure that a person presenting a passport is in fact the person to whom the passport was originally issued. However, the EP believes that the implementation of biometric elements must not infringe upon privacy and data protection rights. This is why the EP opposes the setting up of a central database of European Union passports and travel documents containing all EU passport holders' biometric and other data. Such a database would increase the risk of abuse and function creep. The non binding resolution was adopted with 471 votes in favour to 118 against and 6 abstentions.
Only the authorities of the Member States that are competent for reading, storing, modifying and erasing the biometric data may have access to it. Parliament also explicitly states the purpose of the regulation: the biometric feature in passports shall be used only for verifying the authenticity of the document and the identity of the passport holder.
Parliament wants the regulation to come into effect only if and when the national data protection authorities have adequate investigative powers and resources to see to the correct implementation of the regulation's data protection requirements. In relation to this, MEPs want the deadline for implementing the regulation to be extended to 18 months (instead of one year) after the approval of the technical requirements for the passports at the latest. This means that the EU would expect the USA to extend the deadline beyond 26 October 2005 for holding a biometric passport for visa free travel.
Under the Commission proposal, the introduction of a facial image in passports will be obligatory, while the Member States might opt for the introduction of finger prints. After the adoption of the Carlos COELHO (EPP-ED, PT) report in committee on 25 October, the Council decided to make the introduction of finger prints in passports obligatory as well. The European Parliament however, voted today on the original Commission proposal and, by doing so, agreed with the Commission position that only the facial image should be obligatory.
This Regulation will apply to all Member States except the UK and Ireland. Denmark will decide within a period of six months after the Council has adopted this Regulation whether it will transpose it into its national law.
Background
An important driving force in the development of the biometric passport was provided by various US decisions, notably concerning the visa waiver programme (VWP). Under this programme, the nationals of certain states - among which the old EU Member States (except Greece) and Slovenia - do not need a visa upon entering the USA. But, not later than October 26, 2005, they will have to have a biometric passport. Each country that is designated to participate in the VWP, must certify to the USA that it has a program to issue to its nationals machine-readable passports that are tamper-resistant and incorporate biometric and document authentication identifiers.
Press enquiries:
Danny de Paepe
(Strasbourg) tel.(33-3) 881 73605
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e-mail : libe-press@europarl.eu.int
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