Asylum: Eurodac for the comparison of fingerprints of applicants. Protocol for the Convention

OBJECTIVE: to draw up a protocol to the ?EURODAC? Convention for the comparison of fingerprints of applicants for asylum. CONTENT: the draft protocol seeks mainly to extend the current field of application of the EURODAC Convention with a view to increasing the effectiveness of the Dublin Convention on the determination of the State responsible for a given asylum application. The idea is to allow a Member State to check whether an alien residing illegally on its territory has made an asylum application in another Member State. Hence, the fingerprints of every person of at least 14 years of age who is apprehended by the Member States? competent control authorities in connection with irregular residence on their territory will be duly taken and compared with those already transmitted to the EURODAC system on asylum seekers. Provision is made to specify: - the type of data to be compared (the purpose being purely to allow a Member State to compare the fingerprints of a person apprehended with those already transmitted to EURODAC); - the circumstances in which the comparison of EURODAC fingerprints could be envisaged. It should be noted that the draft protocol does not propose the integration into the EURODAC system of the fingerprints of all persons apprehended as illegal immigrants entering the territory of a Member State. Provision is also made to allow those concerned access to their own data, if that is provided for in the legislation of the Member State where they are residing.�