WRITTEN QUESTION E-1767/02 by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission. Extension of the fingerprinting of non-Community nationals.
Date: 2002-06-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, database, fight against crime, foreign national, identity document, illegal migration, police checks, right of asylum, terrorism

C 28 E/134

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2003

The Regulation has introduced reinforced provisions on the actual use of import certificates. The main
objective is to avoid speculation and trade in licences which,
if achieved, would benefit all genuine
importers irrespective of their trading volumes.

(1) OJ L 169, 28.6.2002.
(2) OJ L 150, 6.6.2001.

(2003/C 28 E/155)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1767/02

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission

(21 June 2002)

Subject: Extension of the fingerprinting of non-Community nationals

(cid:1) Article 8 of Regulation (EC) 2725/2000 (1) (’Eurodac’), which has been in force for about two years,
requires the taking of ‘the fingerprints of all fingers of every alien of at least 14 years of age who is
apprehended by the competent control authorities in connection with the irregular crossing by land,
sea or air of the border’. These rules are to be applied to all asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.

(cid:1) However, the fight against rising immigration-related crime and, above all, anti-terrorist intelligence
activities mean that is necessary for the competent police and judicial authorities to be able to identify
with certainty the majority of immigrants.

(cid:1) Some EU countries have already adopted (Belgium) or are in the process of adopting (Italy) measures

for the routine fingerprinting of foreigners from outside the Community.

Does the Commission not consider that,
in connection with the work of the forthcoming European
summit in Seville, such procedures should be generalised at European level in the interests of security,
control of illegal immigration and preventing and combating terrorism?

(1) OJ L 316, 15.12.2000, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(17 July 2002)

The purpose of Eurodac is to facilitate the effective application of the Dublin Convention (1) and the
proposed Dublin II Regulation (2).

The Eurodac Central Unit collects and/or compares the fingerprints of asylum applicants and certain other
categories of third country nationals submitted by the Member States. On the one hand, these other
categories refer to foreigners who were apprehended in connection with the irregular crossing of the
border of a Member State, having come from a third country and who were not turned back, and, on the
other hand, to foreigners found illegally present in a Member State.

In all cases, the fingerprints are taken and submitted for the sole purpose of helping the Member States
determine which one is competent
for examining an asylum application according to the Dublin
Convention. At the initiative of one Member State, the possibility of using Eurodac data for police
purposes, as an additional measure to combat terrorism, has been addressed in the Council but without
conclusions so far.

The Commission does not envisage any proposal for taking and recording fingerprints of persons not
falling under the categories as mentioned above.

(1) Convention determining the State responsible for examining applications for asylum lodged in one of the Member

States (cid:1) OJ C 254, 19.8.1997.

(2) Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State
responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national,
OJ C 304 E, 30.10.2001.