Prime example of misguided EU security policy
European entry and exit system
The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs committee will today vote on the creation of an entry/exit system for people from third countries travelling to and from the EU. Under the measures, expected to be backed by the majority in the committee, data will be gathered and stored on third country nationals travelling in or out the EU, including tourists and business people.
Vice Chair of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee Jan Philipp Albrecht comments:
"This is a prime example of the misguided nature of the EU's security policy. The world won't be made safer by putting all tourists and business people under blanket supervision. Collecting fingerprints and face-scans without suspicion criminalises travellers. Not only is this completely disproportionate, it will also be ineffective and expensive.
"Data is already compared through the Schengen Information System but it is not stored permanently. EU Member States would be better off investing the estimated costs of around 1 billion euros in equipment and EU-wide cooperation of police and security authorities to investigate suspects and persons at risk."
Background:
The new system will save data such as passport, finger prints, face scans for two years to four years which will be accessible to EU-wide law enforcement and border security authorities. A study on behalf of the European Parliament suggests that scheme will cost 1 billion euros (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2017/583124/IPOL_STU%282017%29583124_EN.pdf). The parliament's legal service has deemed the scheme disproportionate. The system will be subject to a final vote in plenary, with the date yet to be announced.
