REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the Action Plan to strengthen the EU response to travel document fraud
Date: 2018-10-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: Schengen Agreement, action programme, biometrics, data protection, external border of the EU, fight against crime, forgery of documents, passport, personal data

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.10.2018 COM(2018) 696 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the Action Plan to strengthen the EU response to travel document fraud  
 
 
I. INTRODUCTION  

The  Commission  adopted  on  8  December  2016  a  Communication  on  an  Action  Plan  to 
strengthen  the  European  response  to  travel  document  fraud  aiming  at  improving  the  overall 
security  of  travel  documents  issued  in  the  EU  (hereinafter  Action  Plan)1.  The  Action  Plan 
addressed the increasingly significant problem of travel document fraud, which became more  
relevant in the context of the terrorist attacks and migration flows. Against this background, it 
was  crucial  that  the  EU  and  especially  the  Member  States  intensify  efforts  to  improve  the 
security  of  travel  documents,  thus  contributing  to  better  border  protection  and  migration 
management and to move towards an effective and genuine Security Union.2 

The  Action  Plan  looked  at  concepts  and  processes  to  manage  identity,  identified  actions  to 
close potential loopholes for Member States, the Commission, the Council and the European 
Parliament.  

This  report  provides  an  overview  of  the  results  and  progress  made  on  a  number  of  work 
strands and specific measures undertaken by the Member States, the European institutions and 
other  stakeholders  to  fulfil  the  actions  described  in  the  Action  Plan.    Furthermore,  Council 
Conclusions on the Action Plan were adopted on 27 March3  and on identity management on 
18 December 20174 calling on Member States to take action towards enhancing the integrity 
of national identity systems. 

The report follows the structure of the Action Plan thus showing the progress made in each of 
the  key  areas  of  the  identity  infrastructure:  registration  of  identity,  issuance  of  documents, 
document production and document control.  

II. REGISTRATION OF IDENTITY 

Registration  or  evidence  of  identity  refers  to  processes  enabling  the  tracing,  linkage  and 
verification  of  identity  against  breeder  documents  (e.g.  birth  certificates)  to  ensure  that  the 
individual's identity is legitimate, authentic and living.  

Registration processes fall under Member States' responsibility. The Council Conclusions of 
27 March 2017 highlight the importance of more secure breeder documents to prevent fraud 
when used as evidence of identity, while the Council Conclusions of 18 December 2017 stress 
the importance of support to key third countries on the introduction of biometric identifiers in 
their population registers. 

The Commission has facilitated discussion on identity management and assessed the situation 
in  Member  States,  notably  by  presenting  a  questionnaire  under  the  Maltese  presidency5 on 
issues  regarding  the  registration  of  identity  and  supporting  the  organisation  of  a  thematic 

1   COM(2016) 790 final. 
2   Commission Communication on delivering on the European Agenda on Security to fight against terrorism 
and pave the way towards an effective and genuine Security Union (COM(2016) 230 final, 20.4.2016). 
3   Council conclusions on the Commission action plan to strengthen the European response to travel document 
fraud - http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/27/jha-travel-document-fraud/ 

4   Council conclusions on identity management - Doc 15862/17 of 18 December 2017. 
5   Council Doc. 12004/17 of 30 January 2017. 

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meeting  on  the  same  topic.  In  particular,  the  questionnaire  addressed  breeder  documents, 
taking  of  biometrics  for  population  registers,  name  changing  procedures  and  other  identity-
related  issues.  The  assessment  took  place  under  Estonian  presidency 6  and  showed  that 
Member  States’  practices  diverge  in  this  area.  Member  States  should  continue  to  exchange 
national  practices  and  to  assess  how  procedures  in  other  Member  States 7  can  serve  as 
examples  for  improving  national  processes,  notably  procedures  to  improve  the  security  of 
breeder documents and registering identity of citizens (e.g. online registration; registration of 
identity during adulthood and taking of biometrics for population registers).  

Furthermore,  the  thematic  False  Documents  working  party  meeting  held  on  16  November 
2017  provided  different  perspectives  on  issues  related  to  registration  of  identity  from  the 
global ICAO8 approach on evidence of identity to the OSCE9 regional approach presented in 
its Compendium of Good Practices in Identity Management launched in September 2017. It 
also  included  Member  States  input  about  their  national  practices  and  the  findings  of  the 
ORIGINS10 and ARIES11 projects. 

The  OSCE  Compendium  collects  and  assesses  evidence  of  diverse  identity  registration 
practices in the OSCE countries (which includes all EU Member States) and serves as guide 
on  capacity  building  efforts.  Overall,  the  EU  and  the  OSCE  assessments  are  key  for  EU 
Member  States  to  compare  their  own  systems,  use  it  to  identify  potential  weaknesses  and 
reflect on how the different practices can serve as examples for improvement. 

As a follow up, the Council adopted conclusions on identity management on 18 December 
2017,  which  prioritise  continued  cooperation  and  information  exchange  among  Member 
States  to  align  practices  and  further  improve  the  integrity  of  national  ID  systems,  while 
emphasising  the  need  for  robust  and  sound  identity  infrastructures  to  efficiently  mitigate 
security risks. 

Regarding the international dimension of the Action Plan on the introduction of biometrics 
in the population registers of key third countries, the Commission engaged in dialogues with 
Mali and Senegal, both of which are already implementing EU Trust Fund projects on civil 
registries since early 2017. Based on cooperation and technical support, other ongoing actions 
with key partner countries include Tunisia, Niger and Sudan. Countries that express interest 
on  possible  civil  registries  projects  may  also  benefit  from  technical  support  depending  on 
available funding and the priorities set out to address new eligible countries. 

The Europol's  Handbook  on  breeder  documents  lists Member States' breeder documents, 
describes  briefly  their  issuing  processes  and  provides  a  list  of  national  contacts  points.  The 
handbook  should  allow  document-issuing  authorities  to  better  detect  false  documents.  The 
handbook is still being finalised but an interim version is accessible online in FADO12 system 

6   Council Doc. 12004/1/17 of 27 November 2017. 
7   The  Rotterdam  declaration  following  the  "Cross  Border  by  Default"  conference,  organised  by  the  Dutch 
National Office for Identity data on 11-12 April 2016 attached particular importance to the value of sharing 
practices in the area of population registries. 
International Civil Aviation Organisation, 

8  
9   Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, 
10   ORIGINS:  ‘Recommendations  for  Reliable  Breeder  Documents  Restoring  e-Passport  Confidence’  and 

’Leveraging Extended Border Security’. 

11   ARIES: ‘Reliable European identity ecosystem’. 
12   FADO  is  the  summary  name  for  a  trio  of  information  and  technology  systems:  Expert  FADO,  iFADO 
(Intranet  FADO)  and  PRADO  (Public  Register  of  Authentic  Documents  Online).  It  is  a  European  image 

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and  through  the  Europol  Platform  for  Experts  directed  at  law  enforcement  specialists. 
Together,  these  two  platforms  reach  out  to  a  wide  community,  including  law  enforcement 
agencies  and  some  issuing  authorities  such  as  consular  staff,  passport  and  immigration 
authorities.  

Regulation  (EU)  2016/1191  of 6 July 2016 on promoting the free movement of citizens by 
simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the European Union 
will become applicable on 16 February 2019. Under this Regulation, public documents, such 
as  birth  certificates,  issued  in  a  Member  State  and  presented  to  the  authorities  of  another 
Member  State  will  be  exempt  from  the  apostille  stamp.  The  Regulation  will  strengthen  the 
fight against fraudulent public documents by enabling the authorities in the receiving Member 
State, if they have doubts about the authenticity of the public document presented, to consult 
the issuing authority through the Internal Market Information system. .  

Regarding  Research  &  Development  activities  on  breeder  documents  and  document 
verification  including  mobile  technologies,  the  Commission  financed  three  main  projects  in 
the  framework  of  the  Horizon  2020  programme  for  Secure  Societies:  ORIGINS,  which 
finished  mid-2017,  FIDELITY13 concluded  in  2015  and  ARIES  launched  in  2016.  These 
research  projects  address  aspects  related  to  combating  ID  fraud,  protection  of  existing 
identities, image morphing14 and fingerprint spoofing. Follow-up activities include continuity 
of the ORIGINS project through the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) WG1915 
on breeder documents standardisation; a consortium on an image morphing research program; 
the  SIRIUS16 project  aiming  at  capturing  standardised  reference  data  from  documents  and 
ENLETS Mobile17, which looks into new developments and shares good practices on mobile 
solutions for front line law enforcement officers. 

III. ISSUANCE OF DOCUMENTS 

Document  issuance  refers  to  processes  and  protocols  for  issuing  a  document  to  legitimate 
holders and the controls to prevent theft, tampering and loss of documents while issuance is 
taking place. 

Issuance of documents falls under the responsibility of Member States. Work is ongoing on 
establishing a best practice guide for the correct enrolment of biometric identifiers, which 
looks  into  face  and  fingerprints  biometric  enrolment  and  stresses  the  importance  of  live 
enrolment  of  facial  images  to  efficiently  combat  identity  fraud  through  image  morphing.  It 

archiving  system,  set  up  to  assist  Member  States  in  managing  and  recognising  authentic  and  false 
documents.  Subsystem  iFADO  is  intended  for  law  enforcement  and  document  issuing  authorities,  while 
PRADO subsystem, available via internet, aims at the ‘non-document expert’ community. 

13   FIDELITY:  ‘Fast  and  Trustworthy  Identity  Delivery  and  Check  with  ePassports  Leveraging  Traveller 

Privacy’. 

14   Image  morphing  is  an  image  processing  technique  used  to  produce  an  artificial  biometric  sample  (i.e. 

morphed image) which resembles the biometric information of two or more individuals... 

15   European  Committee  for  Standardisation/  Comité  Européen  de  Normalisation  working  group  19  on 

machine-readable travel documents (CEN TC224/WG19).  

16   SIRIUS: Secure ID documents Reference and Inspection support User assistance System. 
17   ENLETS  Mobile  is  a  subgroup  of  the  European  Network  of  Law  Enforcement  Technology  Services 

(ENLETS), which reports to the Law Enforcement Working Party (LEWP) in the Council. 

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also addresses biometric data quality and highlights practical challenges and lessons learned18. 
This  work  is  supported  by  CEN,  which  will  establish  a  technical  standard  for  enrolment  of 
biometric identifiers  together  with Member States' experts in  the Article 6 committee19. For 
its part, eu-LISA20 started developing common  data quality indicators  and  minimum quality 
standards for the correct enrolment of biometric data stored in EU databases. 

Concerning best practices on  document issuance procedures and implementation of the 
Council conclusions adopted in 200521 on minimum standards as regards the security of 
issuing  processes,  the  Bulgarian  presidency  established  a  questionnaire22 on  issuing  related 
processes, which revealed that all Member States are broadly compliant with those standards. 

In  the  framework  of  the  Visa  and  Residence  permit  subgroup  of  the  Art 6  committee, 
technical  discussions  led  to  agreement  on  allocating  a  unique  number  to  all  document 
products  before  they  leave  production  premises.  This  procedure  will  enable  entering 
traceable descriptors of lost/stolen document components in relevant systems, and will limit 
the number of blank stolen items in general.  

IV. DOCUMENT PRODUCTION  

Document production refers to the designing and manufacturing of secure, standardised and 
globally  interoperable  documents.  ICAO  governs  the  standards  for  globally  interoperable 
travel  documents  by  setting  out  the  specifications  for  (electronic)  machine-readable  travel 
documents (MRTDs and eMRTDs).  

The Commission is responsible for setting out the security standards and biometrics for travel 
documents  issued  to  EU  citizens  and  third  country  nationals  living  in  Member  States' 
territory. A major outcome in this area concerns the adoption in 2017 of the Commission's 
proposals on a more secure uniform format for visas23 and residence permits for third 
country  nationals 24 .  The  Commission  adopted  the  implementing  decision  on  technical 
specifications  for  the  uniform  format  for  visas25,  while  the  one  on  the  residence  permits  is 
planned for the end of 2018. 

Equally  essential  was  the  resumption  of  the  technical  support  from  the  JRC  to  verify  the 
correct  implementation  by  Member  States  of  the  physical  and  electronic  features  as 

18   JRC Technical Report, Automatic fingerprint recognition: from children to elderly, Ageing and age effects, 

EUR 29265 EN, 2018, ISBN 978-92-79-87179-5, doc 10.2760/809183. 

19   The committee created by Article 6 of Regulation (EC) 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas. 
20   European Agency for the operational management of large scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security 

and justice (eu-LISA). 

21   Conclusions of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States on common minimum security 

standards for national identity cards (1-2 December 2005). 

22   Council Doc. 9231/18 of 31 May 2018. 
23   Regulation  (EU)  2017/1370  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  4  July  2017  amending 

Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas. 

24   Regulation (EU) 2017/1954 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2017 amending 
Council Regulation (EC) 1030/2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third country 
nationals. 

25   Commission  Implementing  Decision  C(2018)  674  of  12  February  2018  as  regards  further  technical 
specifications  for  the  uniform  format  for  visas  and  repealing  Commission  Decision  C(2010)  319  of  27 
January 2010. 

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required by EU legislation for passports, residence permits and the uniform format for 
visas. While the complete testing should be finalised in the first quarter of 2019, the interim 
report was delivered in April showing good progress. Once the testing phase is finalised, the 
Commission  will  assess  the  need  for  further  steps  in  cases  of  non-compliance  with  the 
established  standards.  Furthermore,  the  Commission  organised  an  interoperability  test  event 
for electronic passports and residence permits in September 2017 at the JRC premises. This 
event  successfully  assessed  the  compliance  of  travel  documents  with  global  interoperability 
standards in Member States as well as some other ICAO contracting states.  

The Commission adopted on 17 April 2018, a legislative initiative to strengthen the security 
of identity cards of Union citizens and of residence documents issued to Union citizens 
and  their  non-EU  family  members  exercising  their  right  of  free  movement 26 .  This 
proposal seeks to facilitate the exercise of citizens' right to free movement and to improve the 
overall  security  of  such  documents.  The  Commission  proposed  minimum  document  and 
security standards for ID cards, minimum information to be provided on residence documents 
issued  to  mobile  EU  citizens  and  full  harmonisation  of  residence  cards  issued  to  non-EU 
family  members.  The  proposal  provides  for  a  fast  phasing-out  of  cards  that  do  not  comply 
with the proposed standards, in order to reach fast progress on overall document security. The 
proposal  is  currently  under  discussion  by  the  co-legislators  with  the  aim  of  being  adopted 
during the current legislative cycle. 

Furthermore,  in  its  EU  citizenship  report  2017,  the  Commission  committed  to  exploring 
possibilities to modernise the rules on emergency travel documents (ETDs) including the 
security features of the EU common format27. On 31 May 2018, the Commission adopted a 
legislative proposal introducing new rules on an EU ETD with enhanced security features28, 
which is currently under discussion by the Council and the Parliament. 

The  Commission  looked  into  the  issue  of  the  non-inclusion  of  the  local  border  traffic 
permits (LBT) in the ETIAS29 system and assessed the security risk. The conclusion was 
that there is no need to amend Regulation (EC) No 1931/2006 because it already provides that 
LBT  permits'  security  features  be  automatically  aligned  with  any  upgrade  of  residence 
permits  for  third  country  nationals  as  provided  for  in  Regulation  (EC)  1030/2002.  In  this 
respect,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  security  features  of  residence  permits  for  third  country 
nationals have been upgraded recently pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/1954. 

V. DOCUMENT CONTROL 

Document  control  deals  with  processes  aiming  at  the  efficient  and  secure  reading  and 
verification  of  travel  documents.  It  also  covers  those  processes  enabling  the  timely,  secure 
and  reliable  linkage  of  documents  and  their  holders  to  available  and  relevant  data  in  the 
course  of  inspection  operations.  Likewise,  it  includes  training  and  data  assessment 

26   COM(2018) 212 final. 
27   Decision 96/409/CSFP of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the 

Council of 25 June 1996 on the establishment of an emergency travel document. 

28   COM(2018) 358 final - Council Directive establishing an EU Emergency Travel Document and repealing 

Decision 96/409/CFSP. 

29   European Travel Information and Authorization System. 

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mechanisms,  which  allow  for  the  correct  use  of  systems  (document  readers,  databases, 
equipment etc.) and help in the process of taking informed decisions. 

A major step forward in this area was the Commission's proposal on the new  legal  basis  of 
the Schengen Information System (SIS) adopted on 21 December 2016, which provided for 
enhancing  its  functionalities,  including  allowing  Member  States  to  enter  falsified  travel 
documents  in  the  system  and  proposing  to  make  the  implementation  of  fingerprint 
functionality mandatory if the identity of the person cannot be ascertained otherwise. Political 
agreement has been reached and adoption is planned for the end of 2018. In the meantime, eu-
LISA  and  the  Member  State  have  successfully  launched  on  5  March  2018  the  Automated 
Fingerprint  Information  System  (AFIS),  enabling  a  fingerprint  search  functionality  at 
central  level  in  Schengen  Information  System  (SIS).  The  SIS  AFIS  is  the  first  centralised 
European  wide  criminal  fingerprint  database  and  is  a  major  milestone  for  the  European 
security allowing for the detection of criminals using multiple or fraudulent identities. Seven 
Member States implemented the direct search with fingerprints in SIS, which is expected to 
be extended to almost 20 by the end of 2018. eu-LISA has also delivered a feasibility study 
enabling  cross-matching  of  biometrics  across  all  of  its  IT  systems  which  will  be  taken  into 
consideration for future developments of the systems.  

Discussions  have  been  concluded  in  SISVIS  committee  on  how  to  enforce  the  seizure  of 
stolen,  lost,  misappropriated  or  invalidated  documents.  The  Commission  updated  the 
'Catalogue  of  recommendations  and  best  practices  on  the  use  of  the  Schengen  Information 
System' providing, by way of guidance, a set of indicative criteria in relation to the seizure of 
documents, aiming for a more harmonised approach among Member States. 

Regarding  the  systematic  feeding  of  Interpol  databases  with  data  on  Stolen  and  Lost 
Travel Documents (SLTD), issued by non-EU countries, where those countries are not able 
to  do  so  themselves,  the  Commission  is  financing  projects30,  which  will  include  support  to 
deploying  Interpol  tools  (including  SLTD)  in  a  number  of  Middle  East  and  North  African 
countries. This ongoing process will improve third countries' capacity to enter data in SLTD 
by themselves. 

Furthermore,  since  7  April  2017,  systematic  checks  against  relevant  databases  for  all 
travelers crossing the external borders are in place. Those databases, which are mandatory for 
consultation, include the SIS and Interpol's SLTD. Together with the work the Commission is 
doing  on  enhancing  the  information  fed  into  the  SLTD,  the  SIS  and  other  document 
databases, it will increase document security.   

The  above-mentioned  Council  Conclusions  of  27  March  2017  also  stressed  the  need  to 
accelerate  the  implementation  of  the  exchange  of  certificates  for  the  checking  of 
fingerprints through Single Points of Contact (SPOC) and the authentication of the chip data 
using a Masterlist. 

Regarding  the  list  of  certificates  needed  for  the  electronic  authentication  of  travel 
documents,  the  Commission  published  on  20  December  2016  the  first  Schengen  test 
Masterlist  and  launched  a  border  control  pilot-test  with  Norway  and  Portugal  in  the  first 
semester  2017.  Work  is  also  in  progress  regarding  contacting  third  countries  for  receiving 

30   Project SHARAKA. 

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their  passport  certificates.  The  Commission  began  work  to  create  and  update  an  official 
Masterlist,  signed  with  the  key  of  the  EU  Laissez-Passer  Country  Signing  Certificate 
Authority  (CSCA),  for  which  the  authorisation  has  been  obtained.  The  Commission  is 
reflecting  on  the  necessity  of  a  legal  instrument  regarding  a  "masterlist  policy",  which  will 
allow determining when a third country certificate can be added to the list. 

On  the  use  of  biometric  applications  for  document  security  and  the  exchange  of 
certificates,  Member  States  SPOCs  enable  the  automated  bilateral  secure  exchange  of  the 
certificates  required  to  read  the  fingerprints  in  travel  documents.  The  progress  towards  the 
transition  from  test  to  fully  operational  SPOCs  in  the  Member  States,  is  monitored  by  the 
Commission  on  a  monthly  basis.  Currently  ten  Member  States  and  Schengen  associated 
countries are fully able to exchange certificates and check fingerprints on operational systems 
on  citizen's  documents  while  21  are  still  in  testing  phase.  The  Commission  urges  Member 
States to actively engage in making the exchange of live certificates operational in the shortest 
delay possible. 

As regards the measure to ensure better access to the relevant information systems, recital 
6 of Regulation (EU) 2017/458 amending Schengen Borders Code calls on Member States to 
ensure  border  guards  have  access  to  relevant  databases  at  the  border  crossing  points. 
Furthermore,  Art.40(8)  of  the  European  Border  and  Coast  Guard  Agency  (EBCGA) 
Regulation sets out that the host Member States shall authorise the members of the EBCGA 
teams to consult European databases which is necessary for fulfilling the operational aims of 
border checks, surveillance and return. Likewise, legislative proposals for amending the Visa 
Information  System31 and  the  SIS  regulations  for  border  control  and  for  police  cooperation, 
which  are  under  discussion,  include  provisions  for  granting  EBCGA  access.  Furthermore, 
from  an  operational  perspective,  the  Commission  included  in  the  Internal  Security  Fund  - 
Police 2017 Annual Work Program:  a direct award to Interpol to deploy its technology to a 
selected number of Member States in order to increase their use of SLTD and other Interpol 
databases, and a call for proposals restricted to Member States to increase the use of SLTD 
and other Interpol databases at the external EU border crossing points.  

Drafting a technical report on standards for inspection systems is ongoing. In support of 
this activity, EBCGA is developing a methodology for testing and assessing the performance 
of  Document  Inspection  Systems.  The  work  started  in  April  2018  and  includes  operational 
testing against document inspection systems in real-life border control scenarios in the third 
quarter  and  the  final  report  by  the  end  of  2018.  The  results  of  the  performance  assessment 
methodology for document inspection systems activity will feed into the technical report on 
inspection systems of the technical subgroup of the Article 6 committee. Progress will much 
depend on the outcome of the above-mentioned EBCGA performance assessment activity and 
on the engagement of Member States.  

A key achievement is the enhanced operational support provided by the EBCGA Centre of 
Excellence  for  Combating  Document  Fraud,  launched  in  February  2018.  This  Centre 
deploys EBCGA staff to field operations at the external borders, contributes to information 
exchange  on  document  fraud  and  plans  setting  up  a  Forgery  Desk  providing  permanent 

31   COM(2018) 302 final - Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, Regulation (EU) 
2016/399,  Regulation  XX/2018  [Interoperability  Regulation],  and  Decision  2004/512/EC  and  repealing 
Council Decision 2008/633/JHA. 

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technical and operational support to document control. The Centre also manages the Expert 
Group  on  Document  control,  aiming  at  coordinating  overall  support  to  Member  States  in 
detecting  document  fraud,  and  works  closely  with  the  Horizontal  Expert  group  on 
Document  fraud  created  in  the  framework  of  the  EU  Policy  Cycle  2018-202132 to  disrupt 
networks of criminal organisations trafficking in false and falsified documents. The Centre is 
finalising a new proposal for a standardised format for alerts33 planned for the end of 2018. 

Furthermore,  on  improving  data  collection  on  document  fraud  phenomena,  EBCGA 
maintains  the  European  Union  Document  Fraud  -  Risk  Analysis  Network  (EDF-RAN)  and 
collects information on both document and identity fraud detected at the external EU borders 
and  intra-EU/Schengen  movements.  EBCGA  also  develops  and  updates  publications  on 
specific  documents  and  fraud-related  issues.  Looking  ahead,  EBCGA  will  enhance  data 
quality and expand the EDF-RAN data collection scope to include, e.g. fraudulent documents 
presented during visa applications and pre-boarding denials.  

Regarding  new  document  fraud  phenomena,  EBCGA  addressed  image  morphing  in  its 
2017 train-the-trainer course on "Vulnerability assessment and testing for Automated Border 
Control  systems"  and  also  in  the  2017  Handbook  on  Impostor  Risk  Profiles.  EBCGA 
continues to work on improving training and awareness tools.  

In  terms  of  promoting  training  activities  in  new  areas  of  document  fraud,  EBCGA  in 
partnership  with  the  Academy  Eindhoven–ID  Centre,  developed  a  pilot  course  on  identity 
expertise, which includes reference to identity management, chip technology, biometrics and 
means  to  detect  digital  fraud.  A  second  edition  is  planned  for  2018.  Likewise,  EBCGA  is 
developing  a  specific  module  on  breeder  documents  and  is  updating  the  programmes  of  its 
training  portfolio,  spanning  from  specialised  trainings  to  awareness  raising  events,  such  as 
roadshows, assistance to third countries, webinars and training sessions for consular staff. In 
this  domain,  the  Commission,  in  partnership  with  EBCGA  organised  a  series  of  six 
workshops  in  key  locations  abroad 34  aimed  at  assisting  EU  consular  officials  with  the 
detection  of  false  documents  submitted  for  EU  visa  applications.  For  its  part,  CEPOL35 
provides trainings, webinars and exchange programmes for officials on document fraud. 

to 

international  stakeholders,  discussions  are  ongoing  between 

With  reference 
the 
International Centre for Migration Policy Development, The Netherlands and the Commission 
over potential use of the new Mobility Partnership Instrument to tackle the underreported area 
of  smuggling  by  air  and  possibly  to  support  targeted  document  fraud  training  at  high-risk 
airport locations. 

Regarding the assessment of the feasibility of a proposal to amend or revise the Carriers 
Liability  Directive 36  to  include  training  requirements,  there  are  no  plans  to  amend  this 

32   EU  Policy  Cycle  for  organised  and  serious  international  crime/  European  Multidisciplinary  Platform 

Against Crime Threats (EMPACT) 2018-2021. 

33   Earlier reference is doc 5606/11 of 27 January 2011 – "Proposal  for  the  setting  up  of  a  standardised  
format  for  national  alerts  on  false identity and travel documents for national use and for distribution to 
third countries". 

34   Moscow  (Nov  2017),  New  Delhi,  (Jan  2018),  Nairobi  (Feb  2018),  Islamabad  (March  2018),  Beijing 

(May2018), Abu Dhabi (June 2018). 

35   European Union agency for Law enforcement training. 
36   Council  Directive  2001/51/EC  of  28  June  2001  supplementing  the  provisions  of  Article  26  of  the 

Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985. 

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Directive in the  near  future.  Further discussion is  needed  to  establish if training for carriers 
could not be promoted by other means.  

As to improving the use of the False and Authentic Documents Online database (FADO) 
and  as  a  follow  up  to  the  Council  Conclusions  of  27  March  2017,  the  Commission  has 
proposed that the EBCGA takes over and operates the FADO system37.  

Given that the FADO/PRADO platform is accessible to non-document expert community, the 
discussions  on  the  future  of  FADO  should  also  include  measures  on  improving  the 
availability  of  information  on  new  and  false  documents  to  the  ‘non-document-expert 
community'. The access of the non-document expert community to such information is also 
explored in the context of the R&D projects, notably the ones related to mobile technology.  

VI. CONCLUSIONS 

The  Action Plan  has  increased  visibility  of  the  issue  of  travel  document  security  and  its 
underlying  identity  management  infrastructure.  Member  States  have  supported  this 
holistic  approach.  Progress  made  include  exchange  of  information  on  national  identity 
practices  and  enrolment  process  of  biometrics,  enhancement  of  the  security  features  of  the 
uniform visa and residence permit formats and ongoing discussion to improve the security of 
ID cards. More secure management of travel documents and better control will contribute to 
enhance  border  protection,  migration  management  and  to  move  towards  an  effective  and 
genuine Security Union. 

Security standards for travel documents including biometrics and border control requirements 
are set at EU level, while Member States retain full responsibility for the breeder documents 
and for producing and issuing the documents. Shifting the focus from the actual documents 
on to the upstream and downstream processes is a logical step to take.  

Out  of  a  total  of  thirty-two  proposed  measures  in  the  Action  Plan  about  half  of  them  have 
been completed and the remaining ones, largely falling under Member States' competence, are 
either  long  term  or  will  be  implemented  in  the  coming  months.  Information  sharing  and 
exchange of best practices should continue to help Member States identifying loopholes and 
serve as incentive for introducing changes in the national identity infrastructures. 

All this proves the successful impact of the Action Plan, but also shows the need for Member 
States  to  continue  ensuring  all  necessary  steps  to  swiftly  implement  the  remaining 
measures of the Action Plan and engage proactively in cooperating and improving EU 
wide  information  sharing.  Ultimately,  Member  States  should  continuously  assess  and 
challenge  their  own  processes,  seeking  to  improve  efficiency  and  security  across  the  entire 
identity chain. 

In particular, the Commission calls on Member States to swiftly implement the measures 
described  in  the  Council  conclusions  of  27  March  and  18  December  2017,  notably  on 
improving  information  sharing  mechanisms  and  administrative  cooperation  to  enhance  the 
integrity of national identity related processes; improve the security of breeder documents and 

37   COM(2018) 631 final of 12 September 2018. 

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align best practices in the EU, in full respect of fundamental rights standards, especially with 
respect to personal data protection. The Commission will continuously monitor the progress 
and remains committed to facilitate discussion and cooperation in this area. 

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