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А spokesperson from the European Commission (EC) expressed on 2 April 2008 the EC intention to push for fingerprinting children starting at the age of six, in order to include the information in the biometric passports.
In spite of the recommendation of the European Data Protection
Supervisor, Peter Hustinx, that the minimum age for fingerprinting
should be 14, a spokesperson from the European Commission (EC)
expressed on 2 April 2008 the EC intention to push for fingerprinting
children starting at the age of six, in order to include the
information in the biometric passports.
Jacques Barrot, the Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner,
considered that "The proposals we put forward are balanced ones",
explaining that fingerprinting was an important tool in fighting human
trafficking.
During the meeting on 12 February 2008 the high-level Strategic
Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA)/Mixed Committee
discussed the age at which children should be fingerprinted for visas,
residence permits and EU passports and travel documents. During a later
meeting of the Visa Working Party, on 18-19 February 2008, the large
majority of delegations agreed on the age of six and even lower "where
national legislation allows for it". Only Germany and Austria supported
the 12 years old proposal of the European Parliament (EP).
"This Commission has set itself the standard that all its proposals
should be based on an impact assessment, including an impact assessment
on privacy and human rights," said Hustinx adding: "This particular
proposal did not have an impact assessment, it had very limited
support, and it refers to anecdotal evidence and that's not good
enough."
Hustinx is concerned about privacy issues but also about the quality of
the fingerprints children of six could provide for identity
verification. The EC argues that the proposals were developed coording
with international agreements, based on the International Civil
Aviation Organisation standards. Hustinx also said he believed the new
trend of biometric proposals have been made without sufficient analysis
on the impact they may have. "I've been struck by a continuing line of
underestimation of these problems in the context of biometrics. (...)
We have rushed in biometrics, to my feeling, to my taste, far too fast"
he said.
The debate is similar to that under negotiation between the European
Parliament and the Council of Ministers which is related to the age of
children fingerprinting for visa purposes. The EP also proposed a
higher age, 12, than the EC. The result of this debate is expected to
apply also to passports.
"Thanks to the co-decision powers of MEPs on these matters, the
Commission and Council cannot just ignore us," said Parliament's lead
MEP on visas, UK Liberal Sarah Ludford who added: "But they would be
ill-advised to try to push forward without much more independent study
and public debate on whether there is a genuine need for fingerprinting
young children."
Commission stands firm on biometric passports (3.04.2008)
http://www.europeanvoice.com/current/article.asp?id=30138&print=1
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council
amending Council Regulation (EC) No. 2252/2004 on standards for security
features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member
States (6.02.2008)
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/feb/eu-council-child-printing.pdf
EDPS Opinion on biometrics in passports: exemptions welcomed but
unsatisfactory (26.03.2008)
http://edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/webdav/site/mySite/shared/Documents/Cons...
EDRI-gram: Biometric data from non-EU travellers (13.02.2008)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.3/biometric-eu-travel
Source: EDRi-gram
“The European Commission continues to pressure for early fingerprinting” Number
6.7, 9 April, 2008.
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