Standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States ***I

P6_TA(2009)0015

European Parliament legislative resolution of 14 January 2009 on the 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 (COM(2007)0619 – C6-0359/2007 – 2007/0216(COD))

(2010/C 46 E/28)

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2007)0619),

having regard to Article 251(2) and Article 62(2)(a) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6-0359/2007),

having regard to the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0500/2008),

Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend the proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and the Commission.

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position at first reading corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EC) No 444/2009.)

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 14 January 2009 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EC) No …/2009 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

ANNEX

Joint Statement by the European Parliament and the Council concerning the need to increase the security of passports and travel documents by using secure breeder documents

Without prejudice to the competence of the Member States to issue passports and other travel documents, the European Parliament and the Council underline that the objective of enhancing the security of passports may be undermined if passports are issued on the basis of unreliable ‘breeder documents’.

The passport in itself is only one link of a security chain starting from the presentation of the breeder documents, to the enrolment of biometric data and ending with the matching at the border check points. This chain will only be as secure as its weakest link.

The European Parliament and the Council note that there is a great diversity of situations and procedures in the Member States regarding which ‘breeder documents’ should be produced in order to request the issuing of a passport and that normally these documents have less security features than the passport in itself, and are more likely to be subjected to forgery and counterfeiting.

The Council shall therefore prepare a questionnaire for the Member States in order to be able to compare the procedures and which documents are required in each Member State in order to issue a passport or travel document. This analysis should assess the possible need for the creation of common principles or guidelines on best practice in this area.

Joint Statement by the European Parliament and the Council concerning the study referred to in Article 5a

The European Parliament and the Council note that the Commission will carry out one single study for the purpose of Article 5a of this Regulation and Article 2 of the [draft] Regulation amending the Common Consular Instructions.