Poland's lower house of parliament voted 436-0 to pass the legislation, which governs the country’s participation in the European Union’s Eurodac biometric database system.
Eurodac stores and compares biometric data—primarily fingerprints—of people applying for asylum or international protection, as well as migrants found to be staying irregularly in the bloc.
The measure sets out the legal framework for Poland’s participation in the system and is due to take effect on June 12, the deadline for all EU member states to implement updated Eurodac rules, Deputy Interior Minister Tomasz Szymański said during parliamentary proceedings.
The system allows member states to check whether a third-country national or stateless person has previously applied for protection in another EU country.
Officials said the new legislation consolidates previously fragmented regulations governing the roles of public authorities involved in Eurodac, including the police, border guards, the Office for Foreigners, the interior ministry and the data protection authority.
Under the law, authorities would be allowed to collect biometric data from third-country nationals or stateless persons aged 6 and older who are registered as beneficiaries of temporary protection
Previously, Eurodac applied to individuals aged 14 and above.
The legislation also authorizes officers to use coercive measures if necessary to obtain biometric data.
Collected data will be transmitted to the Eurodac database via a national access point, where it can be stored, compared and updated.
Poland’s police chief, acting as the system’s central technical authority, will oversee the access point, which will operate within the Central Forensic Laboratory of the police, state news agency PAP reported.
Szymański said the changes streamline institutional responsibilities and grant new powers to authorities, while also defining technical and IT procedures for using the system.
He added that the database would improve authorities’ ability to identify individuals attempting to cross borders and understand their motives.
Officials said the data would be protected, with oversight provided by both Poland’s national data protection authority and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS).
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Source: IAR, PAP