The Council reviewed the state of play of SIS II and discussed its legal basis. It confirmed the use of biometrics for identification purposes in the SIS II as soon as technically possible. Six of the new Member States (Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Estonia and Slovakia), joined by Slovenia, presented a joint statement urging the Council to ensure that discussions on the legislative proposals would not delay the adoption of SIS II.
To recall, on 31 May 2005, the Commission submitted legislative proposals setting out the legal basis for SIS II: two Regulations to be adopted by the codecision procedure and one Council Decision. Discussions on these proposals have reached a crucial stage. In order to allow SIS II to be operational in 2007 and consequently to lift the checks at the internal borders for the new Member States, the legislative instruments have to be adopted quickly.