Brussels, 21/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is suggesting setting up a centralised fingerprint database to facilitate exchange of information among EU law enforcement agencies to help tackle organised crime and terrorism. The initiative is one of the 'key actions' planned in the field of justice and freedom, as we reported when the Commission unveiled its Annual Political Strategy for 2008 (see EUROPE 9371). Friso Roscam-Abbing, a Commission spokesperson on justice and home affairs, told this newsletter that the database would only cover serious crime and might be set up in 2008. It would contain the fingerprints of suspects as well as convicted criminals, he said. The EU's 27 member states would be invited to take part in the fingerprint database project. The Commission cannot yet say whether the United States and other countries would be given access to the database. Roscam-Abbing said that an impact study was currently being carried out on the idea of establishing such a database. The announcement of plans to set up a centralised fingerprint database has already caused concern among MEPs, including Baroness Sarah Ludford (ALDE, UK), who commented that 'of course MEPs want to fight crime and terrorism, but individual privacy must be safeguarded. We need to know who can access this database and what the information can be used for.' The Commission says that its draft legislation will respect fundamental freedoms. The new proposal is expected to be based on the third pillar (police and criminal law cooperation). It should not to be confused with the 'implementation' at EU level of the police database that the Council reached political agreement upon on 15 February this year (under the Prum Treaty, see EUROPE 9367). (bc)