Eurodac, the European Union's central asylum database, suffered a technical failure on Friday, the day the EU bloc's historic pact on migration and asylum came into force, Dutch immigration authorities confirmed, quoted by Reuters.
The system launched in 2003 stores biometric data and has a key role in the new legislative framework. He ran into problems now during an update. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) stated that the database was not fully functional even before this failure and that several EU member states were affected.
Marcus Lammert, the EU spokesman, downplayed the incident at the European Commission's daily briefing.
“On the first day of operation of any new system there are technical problems. That's normal,” he said, adding that “the information I'm getting shows that member states are gradually connecting to the system and things are going quite well.”
Eurodac plays a key role in the EU pact on asylum applications
Many member states are reportedly not ready to implement the migration pact's requirements. Some countries lack the necessary infrastructure to implement the new verification procedures, while others, such as the Netherlands, have faced technical difficulties with the upgraded Eurodac database.
Under the EU's migration pact, the new verification rules will require migrants arriving at the border irregularly to undergo a mandatory procedure lasting up to seven days, allowing authorities to register them in the modernized Eurodac system.
The database collects biometric and identity data, including fingerprints, facial images and copies of travel documents. In certain cases, minors are also included.
Authorities will then assess individuals' vulnerabilities, nationality and intention to seek asylum, before directing them to the appropriate procedure, including expedited border procedures for applicants deemed unlikely to qualify for protection, such as those from countries deemed safe.
