Update of EU fingerprinting database

The Eurodac database

The EU fingerprinting database, Eurodac, currently currently contains the fingerprints of asylum applicants and irregular migrants who have been registered in EU member states and associated countries.

The database facilitates the implementation of the Dublin regulation by helping to:

verify whether an applicant or a person staying illegally in a member state has previously applied for asylum in another member state
check whether an applicant has previously been apprehended when entering European territory irregularly
apply the relevant criteria to determine which member state is responsible for examining an asylum application

New features of the database

Following the update, the Eurodac database will include many new features, which will gather more data to allow the EU to better track irregular movements.

Personalisation:

registration of individual asylum seekers, instead of applications

collection of additional biometric data, such as facial images, and personal data, such as name, date of birth, nationality, a copy of identity documents an the date of the application

collection of biometric data mandatory for persons of at least six years of age

Expansion of the scope to new categories:

persons resettled under national or EU resettlement schemes

beneficiaries of temporary protection (although their data would only be stored for the duration of that status)

persons who have been apprehended in connection with the irregular crossing of an external EU border, as well as persons disembarked following search and rescue operations

persons who have been found illegally staying on the territory of a member state

Security features:

in clearly defined circumstances, member states will be able to record the fact that a third country national could pose a security threat, and it would only be possible to remove this security flag in consultation with other members states

access for law enforcement authorities will be simplified

Data storage:

different storage periods for different categories of individual

data relating to applicants for international protection will be stored for 10 years

data relating to persons admitted under resettlement schemes and persons found irregularly entering or illegally staying in the EU will be stored for five years

The role of IT systems in securing EU borders

Authorities across the EU share information through large-scale IT systems to protect citizens, fight crime, and secure borders. Apart from the Eurodac database there are also other IT systems which help to secure the EU's borders.

Schengen information system

Law enforcement authorities across the EU use the Schengen information system (SIS) to enter or consult alerts about wanted or missing people and objects.

Entry/exit system

On 5 March 2025, the Council agreed on a general approach to gradually introduce the Entry/Exit System (EES) over a period of six months. This allows member states to benefit from the system while giving border authorities and the transport industry time to adjust.

The regulation takes the diverse needs of member states into account.

EU-wide IT systems for security and migration (infographic)

Work on the migration and asylum pact

On 20 December 2023, the Council and the European Parliament reached a deal on this reform of the Eurodac legislation, as well as many other files in the migration and asylum pact.

On 8 February 2024, EU member states' representatives endorsed the deal reached on these legislative acts in December, as well as three laws which had previously been agreed on between the Council and the Parliament in 2022.

The Council adopted the EU's pact on migration and asylum on 14 May 2024.