To increase security within the European Union, the European Commission is slated to propose new legislation making fingerprinting and other biometric elements compulsory for all EU ID cards. So said Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner, in an interview with German daily Welt.
“We have to tighten the screws until there’s no wiggle room left for terrorists or criminals and no means for them to launch attacks,” Avramopoulos told Welt.
As reported by Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, the Commissioner stressed that this will be part of other measures. He said: “It means that they are being denied access to money, fake documents, weapons and explosives while, at the same time, preventing them from crossing our borders undetected.”
The proposed legislation will be tabled on April 17.
Under current rules, fingerprinting in ID cards is optional in the EU. Some countries, like the UK, do not have ID cards at all.
