Brussels, 15/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - After almost 18 months of often difficult negotiation, the European Parliament's committee on civil liberties gave a positive opinion regarding a codecision ruling and a decision on the creation of the Visa Information System (VIS), which aims to create the largest fingerprint database in the world to improve the management and the security of European visa issuance procedures. With the adoption of the report by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ALDE, UK) by 25 votes to 0 and 2 abstentions, MEPs thus opened the road to adoption, during the June plenary (first reading), of the third main EU database after the Schengen Information System (SIS) and Eurodac (asylum requests). “The vote today is welcome as the culmination of an intense and detailed scrutiny of this highly important European border and internal security project”, Ms Ludford said, obviously pleased that a compromise had been reached with the Council presidency. The VIS database will store personal and biometric data for a maximum of five years (digitalised photos and fingerprints), that will in several years' time contain the photos and fingerprints of 70 million people having received a decision from a member state with regard to the issuance/refusal/cancellation/repeal/extension of a visa for the Schengen Area. This system will also make an important contribution to internal security and to the fight against terrorism and other serious offences. The authorities responsible for handling visa requests, immigration, asylum requests and border control, as well as the authorities that apply laws in member states and Europol in very specific conditions (via central access points) will have access to this Community database. In the case of exceptional emergency, for example in the event of an imminent terrorist attack, verification may take place at a later date. Exceptional circumstances will also be invoked for the transfer of data to third countries or to international organisations. The central unit of VIS will be located in Strasbourg and managed by a permanent management authority financed by the EU budget. It should be noted that, in her negotiations with the Council, Ms Ludford managed to have the presidency pledge, with two political statements, to conclude an acceptable agreement on the long-awaited framework decision on data protection and the “returns” directive with regard to norms for sending illegal immigrants back to whence they came. (bc)