EU: ‘Fingerprinting Regulation’ approved now we need your help to monitor its implementation

4 April 2019 — Statewatch

Statewatch News Online, 4 April 2019

‘Fingerprinting Regulation’ approved – now we need your help to monitor its implementation

On 4 April the European Parliament voted in favour of a Regulation that introduces a requirement for the mandatory fingerprinting of all national identity card holders in the EU – but this is not the end of the story, because now the measures will be implemented by national governments. We need your support to continue monitoring this dangerous new law.

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We tracked the identity cards proposal from the start,[1] making clear the implications[2] and working with other organisations across Europe to call on MEPs[3] to vote against a measure that the European Commission’s own impact assessment described as disproportionate.

Unfortunately, despite last-minute amendments[4] that would have reversed the worst aspects of the Regulation, MEPs voted in favour and national governments will now have to start implementing them at national level.

15 EU Member States will have to introduce a fingerprinting obligation to comply with the requirements of the Regulation, and we want to know how they go about it.

Of particular concern is the possibility that the new EU measures will be used by national governments to introduce centralised fingerprint databases of their citizens.

With your help, we can monitor the implementation of these measures, highlight potential abuses and work with others to try to oppose the unwarranted encroachment of more biometric surveillance measures.

Please to support our work

We are a small organisation and rely on donations from individuals to help us maintain our output and our independence.

Help us to monitor the implementation of the EU’s unjustified and unnecessary fingerprinting Regulation by becoming a Friend of Statewatch today.

Please to support our work

[1] http://www.statewatch.org/news/2018/apr/eu-security-union-id-cards.htm
[2] http://www.statewatch.org/news/2018/jun/eu-id-cards-pr.htm, http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-337-fingerprints-in-identity-cards-ep-amendments.pdf
[3] http://www.statewatch.org/news/2019/mar/eu-id-cards-text.htm, http://www.statewatch.org/news/2019/mar/eu-id-cards-ngo-letter.htm ,
[4] http://www.statewatch.org/news/2019/mar/eu-id-cards-ngo-letter.htm
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