EU to implement border fingerprint checks similar to United States
Non-Americans traveling to the United States will be familiar with the procedure: once you arrive, you have to go through immigration where you’ll be finger-printed and a picture of your face is taken. Now the European Union wants to introduce similar security measures for all travellers from non-member states who enter the EU for business or pleasure.
On Wednesday, lawmakers in the EU Parliament voted in favor of a new Entry-Exit System (EES) that calls for third-country nationals entering the EU to be fingerprinted and photographed at the border. This biometric data, along with the personal information on their travel documents as well as entry, exit or refusal of entry information, will be stored for up to four years and will be accessible to law enforcement, border control and visa authorities. In addition to EU nationals, citizens of countries in the Schengen Zone of visa-free travel will be exempt from the new system.
To continue reading, please visit dw.de
(Photo: Davide Guglielmo/freeimages.com)
