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From: Statewatch
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 03/12/2004 13:54
Subject: Statewatch News Online, 3 December 2004 (47/04)
Statewatch News Online, 3 December 2004 (no: 47/04)
Full contents see: http://www.statewatch.org/news
1. EU: Justice and Home Affairs Council, 2 December 2004
2. EU: Mandatory data retention national parliaments express concern and
opposition
3. EU: Openness case - court says member states can keep thier documents
secret
4. EU: European Parliament vote on biometric passports
5. "Open Letter" to MEPS from civil society calls for rejection of
biometrics on passports
6. UK: Identity Card Bill published
7. Finnish security police charged with illegal snooping (EDRI)
1. EU: JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS COUNCIL, 2 December 2004:
- Press release:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/dec/jha-2-dec-prel.pdf
- Main agenda:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/dec/jha-2-dec-B-points.pdf
- "A" point agenda (adopted without discussion):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/dec/jha-2-dec-A-points.pdf
-. Background Note:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/dec/jha-2-3-dec-back.pdf
- EU Plan of Action on Combating Terrorism - New Update (doc no
14330/1/04,
29.11.04):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/nov/terr-action-plan-14330-rev1.pdf
- For previous versions see Statewatch's Observatory in defence of
freedom
and democracy: http://www.statewatch.org/observatory2.htm
2. EU: MANDATORY DATA RETENTION - national parliaments express concern
and
opposition:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/dec/03data-retention-parls.htm
3. EU openness: The EU's Court of First Instance has decided that
governments can veto access to documents originating from them and
submitted to an EU institution (in this case the European Commission).
Interestingly the applicant was supported by the Netherlands, Sweden and
Denmark, while the Commission - in its refusal to give access - was
supported by the UK. The Court's judgement said: "the Commission was not
required to explain why the Federal Republic of Germany had made a
request
under Article 4(5) of the Regulation, since there is no obligation on
the
Member States to state the reasons for such a request under that
provision". Judgement: (link):
http://curia.eu.int/jurisp/cgi-bin/form.pl?lang=en&Submit=Submit&docrequ
ire=alldocs&numaff=&datefs=&datefe=&nomusuel=&domaine=INST&mots=&resmax=
100
4. EU: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES ON BIOMETRICS & PASSPORTS
The European Parliament (2.12.04) voted through its report on biometric
passports with 471 votes in favour to 118 against and 6 abstentions. The
parliament had decided that the recent change to the proposed Regulation
by
the Council (the 25 governments) to make fingerprints mandatory as well
as
a facial image was not a substantial change requiring reconsultation.
However, the parliament did say that the only mandatory biometric should
be
a facial scan. The changes to the draft Regulation put forward by the
parliament will be ignored by the Council - which it does routinely
under
the "consultation" procedure. The Council intend to formally adopt the
Regulation at the next available meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The
"details", such as the size of the "chip" holding the biometrics and the
number of fingerprints to be taken will be decided in a Committee set up
by
the Commission of representatives of each member state.
See background:
a. EU governments blackmail European Parliament into quick adoption of
its
report on biometric passports:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/nov/12biometric-passports-blackmail.
htm
b. EU biometric passports and mandatory fingerprinting: Statewatch legal
analysis questions the legality of the proposed Regulation:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/nov/11biometric-legal-analysis.htm
c. Search in Statewatch database "Features Library" for in-depth
articles
on biometrics:
http://database.statewatch.org/searchdisplay.asp?grpid=56
5. "OPEN LETTER" TO MEPS FROM CIVIL SOCIETY CALLS FOR REJECTION OF
BIOMETRICS ON PASSPORTS
EU: European Parliament urged to reject biometric registration of all EU
citizens and residents: Open letter from Privacy International,
Statewatch
and EDRI (European Digital Rights Initiative), supported by NGOs, data
protection commissioners and privacy experts:
http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/terrorism/ep_letter_biometric
s.html
6. UK: IDENTITY CARD BILL
Identity Card Bill published - full-text (pdf):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/nov/uk-id-card-bill.pdf
Explanatory Notes (link):
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmbills/008/en/05008x-
-.htm
ID Cards: Regulatory Impact:
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/nov/uk-id-card-bill-reg-imp.pdf
Assessment (pdf) No2id website: FAQ on ID cards (link):
http://www.no2id.net/content/first_reading_briefing.html
7. Finnish security police charged with illegal snooping (EDRI):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/dec/02finland-snooping.htm
BOOKMARK
News online - full contents:
http://www.statewatch.org/news
What's New on the Statewatch site:
http://www.statewatch.org/whatsnew.htm
Statewatch European Monitor:
http://www.statewatch.org/monitor/monitor.html
________________________________________________
Statewatch: Monitoring the state and civil liberties in Europe
PO Box 1516, London, N16 0EW. UK
tel: +44(0)20-8802-1882; fax: +44(0)20-8880-1727
<http://www.statewatch.org>
________________________________________________
Statewatch: Monitoring the state and civil liberties in Europe
PO Box 1516, London, N16 0EW. UK
tel: +44(0)20-8802-1882; fax: +44(0)20-8880-1727
<http://www.statewatch.org>
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