<nettime> mandatory fingerprinting for all EU citizens

[Peter Kuhm <peter {AT} null.priv.at>]

Get up - Sign* up!

-> http://www.edri.org/campaigns/biometrics/0411

--- snip ---

An Open Letter to the European Parliament
on Biometric Registration of all EU Citizens and Residents

26 November, 2004 ..

   You may still use our webform* to sign this letter; however your
   signature will not be added to the letter to be sent to Members
   of the European Parliament any more. All signatures received
   before Thursday, December 2, will be posted on this website.


To the Members of the European Parliament,

We the undersigned are calling on you to reject the 'Draft Council 
Regulation on standards for security features and biometrics in passports 
and travel documents issued by Member States'. This is an unnecessary and 
rushed policy that will have hazardous effects on Europeans' right to 
privacy. This policy process requires additional oversight, and the 
eventual systems established will require significant controls and a strong 
legal framework to ensure that this is a proportionate response to the war 
on terrorism. In particular, we call for the removal of the requirement for 
fingerprinting all EU citizens.

We are quite alarmed by the political dynamics at play in this policy 
decision.

o The Council of the European Union pressed the European Parliament into 
including the Coelho reports on biometric identifiers on the agenda for the 
mini-session on Wednesday, 1 December 2004.

o Behind closed doors on October 25 the Justice and Home Affairs Council 
decided to introduce mandatory fingerprinting for all EU citizens into the 
draft regulation.

o The Parliament's response to this significant shift in policy is even 
more alarming: a majority of the Presidents of the Political Groups 
accepted the claim that the change was not sufficient grounds for the 
report to be sent back to the LIBE Committee for further consideration.
o If the Presidents had refused to accept, the Council would have called 
for an urgency procedure.

o If the Presidents had refused, the Council threatened to delay the 
introduction of the co-decision procedure for immigration and asylum issues 
to April 1 instead of January 1.[1]

These dynamics are irresponsible and unhealthy for a functioning democratic 
system.

[...]

Signed,

Gus Hosein - Privacy International
Tony Bunyan - Statewatch
Andreas Dietl - European Digital Rights

[...]

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*) http://www.edri.org/campaigns/biometrics/sign


-- 
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