EU Commission will scrutinise French TES biometrics database of 60 million citizens following questions by D66 MEP - Main contents

In October last year the French government issued a decree creating the 'TES' database, containing the information from all passports and identity cards, including photographs and fingerprints of 60 million citizens. Following several written questions to the European Commission co-signed by MEP Sophie in 't Veld on the conformity of the database with EU data protection law, the answer remains unsatisfactory. The Commission holds that the conformity assessment can be done in the framework of a pilot project called 'Fundamental rights review of EU data collection instruments and programmes'. However, Sophie in 't Veld demands that the European Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, properly assesses all national legislation against EU law, not just on an ad hoc basis within a pilot project. Pressed by D66, the European Commission has now confirmed it will scrutinise the database and ask questions to the French government.

Please find the letter by Commissioner Jourová here.