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In spite of the recommendation of the European Data Protection Supervisor, Peter Hustinx, that the minimum age for fingerprinting should be 14, a spokesperson from the European Commission (EC) expressed on 2 April 2008 the EC intention to push for fingerprinting children starting at the age of six, in order to include the information in the biometric passports.

Jacques Barrot, the Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner, considered that "The proposals we put forward are balanced ones", explaining that fingerprinting was an important tool in fighting human trafficking.

During the meeting on 12 February 2008 the high-level Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA)/Mixed Committee discussed the age at which children should be fingerprinted for visas, residence permits and EU passports and travel documents. During a later meeting of the Visa Working Party, on 18-19 February 2008, the large majority of delegations agreed on the age of six and even lower "where national legislation allows for it". Only Germany and Austria supported the 12 years old proposal of the European Parliament (EP).

"This Commission has set itself the standard that all its proposals should be based on an impact assessment, including an impact assessment on privacy and human rights," said Hustinx adding: "This particular proposal did not have an impact assessment, it had very limited support, and it refers to anecdotal evidence and that's not good enough."

Hustinx is concerned about privacy issues but also about the quality of the fingerprints children of six could provide for identity verification. The EC argues that the proposals were developed coording with international agreements, based on the International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. Hustinx also said he believed the new trend of biometric proposals have been made without sufficient analysis on the impact they may have. "I've been struck by a continuing line of underestimation of these problems in the context of biometrics. (...) We have rushed in biometrics, to my feeling, to my taste, far too fast" he said.

The debate is similar to that under negotiation between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers which is related to the age of children fingerprinting for visa purposes. The EP also proposed a higher age, 12, than the EC. The result of this debate is expected to apply also to passports.

"Thanks to the co-decision powers of MEPs on these matters, the Commission and Council cannot just ignore us," said Parliament's lead MEP on visas, UK Liberal Sarah Ludford who added: "But they would be ill-advised to try to push forward without much more independent study and public debate on whether there is a genuine need for fingerprinting young children."

Commission stands firm on biometric passports (3.04.2008)
http://www.europeanvoice.com/current/article.asp?id=30138&print=1

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No. 2252/2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States (6.02.2008)
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/feb/eu-council-child-printing.pdf

EDPS Opinion on biometrics in passports: exemptions welcomed but unsatisfactory (26.03.2008)
http://edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/webdav/site/mySite/shared/Documents/Cons...

EDRI-gram: Biometric data from non-EU travellers (13.02.2008)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.3/biometric-eu-travel