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FRA carried out research and contributed fundamental rights expertise to training activities on the EES as the system will process personal data, including sensitive biometric data, of hundreds of millions of non-EU nationals each year.
FRA’s research gathered together the experiences and expectations of practitioners and experts on matters that are relevant for the roll out of EES in compliance with fundamental rights. These included collecting and processing biometric data at borders – for example through automated border control (ABC) gates, sharing information with non-EU nationals or managing queues in settings with limited space.
Between May and September 2024, FRA collected experiences from border guards, national authorities, supervisory authorities and fundamental rights experts. Field research took place in six EU Member States, covering nine air, sea and land BCPs with relevant experience in processing biometric data at borders. More specifically, the following research tasks were carried out.
- 30 national-level authorities and experts were interviewed, five in each of the following Member States: Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
- At nine BCPs, 61 shift leaders and 25 other stakeholders such as airport operators, transport companies and non-governmental organisations were interviewed. At these BCPs, the border guards offered a guided tour to the researchers, which enabled some participatory observation.
- At nine BCPs, covering 177 border guards in total a survey was carried out.
- FRA staff visited five BCPs (Frankfurt and Vienna airports, a Eurostar terminal in France and the ports of Marseille and Bari), observing and discussing the preparations for the EES with respective Member State authorities.
The research took place at the following BCPs:
- Bulgaria – Kapitan Andreevo (road BCP) and Sofia airport;
- Estonia – Narva (land BCP);
- France – the port of Marseille and the Eurostar BCP;
- Italy – Rome Fiumicino airport and the port of Bari; and
- Poland – Medyka (road BCP) and Warsaw airport.
The research findings were the starting point for compiling this FRA guidance.