PURPOSE: to compare fingerprints for the effective application of the Dublin Convention.
COMMUNITY MEASURES: Council Regulation 2725/2000/EC.
CONTENT: For the purpose of applying the Dublin Convention, it is necessary to establish the identity of applicants for asylum and of persons apprehended in connection with the unlawful crossing of the external borders of the Community. To this end, it is necessary to set up a system known as 'Eurodac', consisting of a Central Unit, to be established within the Commission and which will operate a computerised central database of fingerprint data, as well as of the electronic means of transmission between the Member States and the central database. The main provisions of the Regulation with regard to applicants for asylum are as follows:
- each Member State shall promptly take the fingerprints of all fingers of every applicant for asylum of at least 14 years of age and shall promptly transmit this data to the Central Unit of Eurodac. This data will be compared to the Member State of origin;
- only certain information shall be recorded in the central database;
- each set of data shall be stored in the central database for ten years from the date on which the fingerprints were taken. As regards aliens apprehended in connection with the irregular crossing of an external border, the following provisions apply:
- each Member State shall promptly take the fingerprints of all fingers of every alien of at least 14 years of age who is apprehended by the competent control authorities in connection with the irregular crossing by land, sea or air of the border of that Member State having come from a third country and who is not turned back;
- the Member State shall promptly transmit certain data to the Eurodac Central Unit;
- each set of data relating to an alien shall be stored in the central database for two years from the date on which the fingerprints of the alien were taken.
As regards aliens found illegally present in a Member State, the following provisions apply:
- each Member State may transmit to the Central Unit any fingerprint data relating to fingerprints which it may have taken of any such alien of at least 14 years of age together with the reference number used by that Member State;
- the fingerprint data of an alien shall be transmitted to the Central Unit solely for the purpose of comparison with the fingerprint of applicants for asylum transmitted by other Member States and already recorded in the central database.
As regards recognised refugees, the following provisions will apply:
- data relating to an applicant for asylum which have been recorded shall be blocked in the central database if that person is recognised and admitted as a refugee in a Member State. Such blocking shall be carried out by the Central Unit on the instruction of the Member State of origin;
- five years after Eurodac starts operations, it shall be decided what to do with the data.
In conclusion, the remaining provisions of the Regulationrelate to data use, data protection and liability.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 15.12.2000�