On April 17, 2018, the EU Commission (the “Commission”) released its plans to integrate mandatory images of two fingerprints and a facial image in all identity cards held by EU citizens. The proposal covers IDs of every EU citizen above the age of 12 and their family members from non-EU countries holding a residence permit. New identity cards are planned to be equipped with a chip and will be valid for a maximum of ten years.
The proposal is part of a comprehensive set of anti-crime measures with the objective of protecting EU citizens, especially from terrorism. In addition to the mandatory fingerprints measure, the Commission plans to grant law enforcement agencies direct access to bank accounts when investigating felonies or terror. Moreover, the proposal aims to enhance cooperation among national law enforcement agencies within the EU.
Regarding the proposal, Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “We will never give in to terrorists who attack our security and our freedoms. Europeans demand that national governments and the EU tackle these risks with determination. The new actions announced today will help Member States to deprive terrorists of the means to carry out their evil acts and will also better protect our public spaces, and thus our way of life.”
Up to now, approximately 80 million Europeans do not have identity cards that contain biometric data, which makes them especially vulnerable to falsifications and identity theft. In Germany, for example, machine-readable IDs are optional, and machine-readable passports have only been standard since 2007.
The Commission additionally intends to tighten regulations regarding the import and export of explosives and their raw materials. Further, illegal trade with firearms will be tackled with an international register to allow national authorities in the EU to better control the trade of firearms as well as to exchange information.
For the proposal to pass, the Commission requires approval from all EU countries and the European Parliament. This may prove difficult as members of the European Parliament have already expressed skepticism. Member Jan-Philip Albrecht called the proposal a “severe interference into the civil rights of all Europeans and a merely symbolic step, that will not lead to more safety since fingerprints, too, can be faked.”
The German Party of the Social Democrats, which partly forms the current German government, also opposes the plan. However, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior already declared its approval of the proposal.
