BRUSSELS, June 12 – Technical problems struck the European Union’s primary asylum database on Friday, marking a rocky start to the implementation of the bloc’s new migration and asylum framework, according to Dutch immigration officials.
The Eurodac system, which houses biometric information and serves as a cornerstone of the updated migration rules, experienced failures while undergoing a system upgrade. Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) officials revealed the database wasn’t operating at full capacity even before the breakdown occurred, with multiple EU nations experiencing disruptions.
At the EU’s regular press conference, spokesperson Marcus Lammert minimized concerns about the technical problems.
“Any first day of a new system will have technical glitches. This is normal,” he stated, further noting, “the information that I’m getting is that member states are gradually linking in and that it’s going rather well.”
Reports indicate numerous member nations remain ill-equipped to carry out the migration pact’s mandates. Various countries are missing necessary infrastructure for implementing new screening protocols, while others like the Netherlands face technical challenges with the updated Eurodac system.
The EU’s migration agreement establishes new screening protocols requiring migrants who enter through unofficial routes to complete a compulsory process lasting as long as seven days, enabling officials to enter their information into the modernized Eurodac database.
The system gathers biometric and personal information, encompassing fingerprints, photographs of faces, and duplicates of identification documents. Certain minors are incorporated as well.
Authorities will subsequently evaluate vulnerabilities, citizenship status, and asylum goals before directing people into suitable processes, including expedited border procedures for candidates considered unlikely to receive protection, including individuals from nations deemed secure.
