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EU: Civil Liberties Committee votes for finger-printing of children from the age of 12 for passports

01 September 2008

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Civil Liberties Committee votes for finger-printing children from the age of 12 and above for EU passports(EP press release) and Press release from Sarah Ludford MEP (ALDE): MEPs reject fingerprinting of 6 year olds (pdf). This decision puts the European Parliament on a collision course with the Council (27 governments) who want the age to be six years old and above (some governments want it lower still) - the measure is subject to co-decision. Six years old was accepted by the Civil Liberties Committee rapporteur but rejected by the Committee. If accepted by the EP plenary session this would put the age of finger-printing children the same for EU passports and for EU visas.

Background: The fingerprinting of children for inclusion on the Eurodac database (asylum applicants) is set at 14 years old. Statewatch first raised this issue to public attention in July 2006: EU states will be free to fingerprint children from day one of their life as soon as it is technologically possible: when Tony Bunyan, Statewatch editor, commented: "All the discussions by EU governments in the Council about the age at which children should be subject to compulsory fingerprinting are based on the technological possibilities - not on the moral and political questions of whether it is right or desirable" and EU: Fingerprinting of children - the debate goes on

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