On Tuesday 30 May, the European Parliament's civil liberties committee adopted a report on reforming the Eurodac system for comparing digital fingerprints from asylum seekers and for identifying nationals from third countries, or stateless people, residing illegally. The report was adopted by 35 votes in favour, 10 against and 8 abstentions, and the civil liberties committee MEPs thus think that the European police agency Europol "should have direct access to the Eurodac database".
In addition to digital fingerprints, "facial images, names and identity card numbers, if available, should also be stored in Eurodac", the MEPs state.
The civil liberties committee also believes that children over six should be fingerprinted too, "so as to facilitate their being monitored and family reunion". In the committee's view, children that have disappeared from reception facilities should also have their data recorded in the Schengen Information System (SIS) and be listed as missing children.
The MEPs say that the fingerprinting should be carried out appropriately for children, by staff that have been trained to look after children, and they add that minors should be accompanied by a responsible adult. Detaining minors should be banned, the MEPs state.
"Lowering the age of children who can be fingerprinted from 14 to 6 years old will enable unaccompanied minors to be better protected, and will help prevent them being kidnapped or exploited", rapporteur Monica Macovei (ECR, Romania) stated.
This vote gives the rapporteur the mandate to open negotiations with the Council, which reached a partial agreement in December on the reform of the Eurodac system (see EUROPE 11686). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)