Europe seeks feedback on plan for sharing biometric data with non-EU law enforcement

The European Commission has requested public feedback on its plans for a reciprocal biometric data-sharing framework for police with non-EU nations.

The public consultation period for the proposed regulation opened on June 12 and runs through August 7, 2026.

Under the Prüm international plan, the EU would exchange biometric data between EU Member States and “trusted non-EU partners.” The EC would be empowered to change the status of partners to suspend or revoke their access if they fail to meet the attached conditions, the announcement notes.

Contributed opinions will be considered as evidence for an impact assessment.

The Prüm II Regulation expanded the automated exchange of DNA profiles, fingerprint biometrics and vehicle registration data to face biometrics and police records in 2024. The ProtectEU Strategy (2025) calls for improved information exchange arrangements with non-EU countries “to better combat serious and organised crime.”

As this arrangement is being considered, cooperation with Schengen Associated Countries like the UK, the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Canada is “intensifying,” according to the call for evidence. The cooperation in undermined, however, by fragmented data exchange arrangements. Bilateral agreements “lead to divergent technical architectures, legal conditions and data protection safeguards” that stand in the way of both rights protections and efficient use of law enforcement resources.

In response to this situation, the EU wants to create a new framework separate from Prüm, which would require legislation, to enable automated exchanges with approved countries.

The call for evidence also refers to the potential for other countries to be included in its planned data-sharing framework, and the EU has been locked in negotiations with the U.S. to share biometric data for months. Talks on the Enhanced Border Security Partnership (EBSP) have been complicated, however, by potential clashes between America’s Visa Waiver Program requirements and Europe’s data protection rules.

The EC plans to adopt the plan during the fourth quarter of this year.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometric identifiers  |  biometrics  |  data sharing  |  Europe  |  law enforcement  |  Prüm