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To: steve who wrote (25782)	4/6/2004 9:45:48 AM
From: steve	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26039

US ‘jumping’ the EU into biometric checks (photo sidebar) The US is “pushing” Europe towards the mandatory fingerprinting of EU citizens and untested ‘biometric’ technology, a senior MEP warns. The European Parliament’s draftsman on plans for an EU ‘biometric’ passport, Ole Sørensen, argues that Europe should not imitate Washington. EU citizens travelling to the US will be photographed and fingerprinted from September 30 this year as the latest controversial step in Washington’s war on terror. Sørensen is concerned that the US is forcing a ‘biometric’ standard on the rest of the world – before Europeans have the chance to decide on privacy or civil liberties implications of compulsory fingerprinting. “The US is pushing us to accept their standard, I still don’t think we should put [fingerprints] into our passports,” he told EUpolitix.com. “I think it is a bad decision. I don’t think it is helping to fight terrorism.” Parliament's justice committee is expected on Tuesday to delay EU proposals for ‘biometric’ identity documents until the autumn. The MEPs are concerned that Europe is being rushed into ill-considered proposals – a situation compounded by the US move to ‘biometric’ border checks. “The European Parliament is not in a position to endorse the proposals… as long as the commission does not put its cards on the table and fully inform us of its strategy,” Sørensen said. “We need proper democratic scrutiny of this far-reaching legislation, which in the worst case scenario could represent a step towards systematic registration of EU citizens' personal data.” European travellers will from this October be processed through the US-VISIT programme at all airports and seaports. All visitors must provide two digital fingerprints and a photograph to prove their identity – a higher level of security than initial ‘biometric’ requirements. Migration officer at the US mission to the EU, Marc Meznar insists that Washington would have no problems if similar requirements to the US-VISIT scheme were imposed on American visitors to Europe. “We are in favour of these border measures generally,” he said. “If there was such a requirement we would inform our citizens and it would be up to the traveller to decide.” European tourists and visitors to America have benefited from “visa waiver programme” set to expire on October 26 2004 – a deadline set for introduction of high-tech ‘biometric’ passports. Under the US-VISIT programme EU travellers will still be able to 'waive' visas, the preferred option for the European Commission. EU officials take the pragmatic line that Europeans that the October border checks will be less inconvenient than queuing and paying for visas. But Brussels will review the situation. "We will wait for the official text to see if there is anything to object about," said a spokesman. Following September 11 2001 hi-jack terror attacks on New York and Washington international civil aviation authorities have called for travel documents to be made more secure. But efforts to include digital features on microchips embedded in identity documents have been subject to delay. The EU is fast tracking European ‘biometric’ documents, but it is thought the new documents will not be available until early 2006. Washington too has had to ask for more time to deliver on its own biometric passports which are to be rolled out at the end of 2005. “The administration has made a formal request to Congress to extend the deadline by two years from the current deadline of October 24,” US border chief Asa Hutchinson told EUpolitix.com last week. “We have to utilise the time of the extension to get our international standards more defined and to move as rapidly as we can to the completion of these biometric standards.” The two year delay was to be used to get the cutting edge technology right but the US has decided to move to close the loophole. Standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) only demand a digital photograph. But after March 11 attacks on Madrid and the US-VISIT requirement the EU may go beyond ICAO requirements and demand mandatory fingerprints. Meznar stresses that the US too may include digital fingerprints in future American passports. “We’re looking for an international standard for people arriving in our countries,” he said. “We have not ruled out the possibility of fingerprints [in the US biometric passports], the initial decision is digital photographs.” eupolitix.com steve