EU Commission: Answer to a written question – Europol’s searches in SIS II and Eurodac-AFIS

EN E-000335/2021

Answer given by Ms Johansson

on behalf of the European Commission (21.6.2021)

1. Europol conducted 16 128 searches in the Schengen Information System (SIS) in 2018, 37 321 searches in 2019 and 53 678 searches in 2020. These searches led to the establishment of a match between Europol data and SIS data in 10 cases in 2018, 23 cases in 2019 and 10 cases in 2020.
2. Europol started exchanging supplementary information about SIS alert hits in line with the provisions of the SIRENE Manual1 on 8 March 2021. Prior to 8 March 2021, the exchange of information on matches (see reply to Q1) took place via the channels established under the Europol Regulation2.
3. Europol relies on the Netherlands infrastructure and connection to the EURODAC central system to transmit data to EURODAC3. Two types of searches can be made:
   1. an identification of one specific person using high-quality prints acquired under controlled conditions4: Upon request by Europol to search fingerprints in EURODAC, the Netherlands authorities transmitted four (4) datasets for searches in 2018 that resulted in no hits5.
   2. a search using partial prints6 left by a suspect on a crime-scene object7: Upon request by Europol to search fingerprints in EURODAC, the Netherlands authorities transmitted six (6) datasets for latent searches in 2018, no (0) dataset for latent searches in 2019 and two (2) datasets for latent searches in 2020.8 Searches on latent fingerprints do not produce hits but “potential candidates” that require confirmation by a latent print examiner. For the six datasets transmitted by the Netherlands for latent searches in 2018, two independent latent print examiners confirmed that there were no hits. For the two datasets transmitted by the Netherlands for latent searches in 2020, two independent latent print examiners confirmed that there were hits.

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1 OJ L 231, 7.9.2017, pp. 6-51.

2 Regulation (EU) No 2016/794 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016.

3 In line with Article 19 of the EURODAC Regulation (EU) No 603/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 and the general agreement with the Netherlands authorities. The searches are conducted by the Netherlands using their National Access Point.

4 Also called criminal-print-to-print search.

5 Annual statistics on the use of EURODAC in 2018 can be found at: https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Publications/Reports/Eurodac%20-%202018%20statistics%20-%20report.pdf. 6 So-called latent prints.

7 Also called latent-to-print search.

8 Annual statistics on the use of EURODAC in 2020 can be found at: https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/Publications/Reports/Eurodac%20-%202020%20Statistics%20-%20Report.pdf.

Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP

Source: Answer to a written question – Europol’s searches in SIS II and Eurodac-AFIS. – E-000335/2021(ASW)