Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 32 U.K. Conditions for access to EES data by designated authorities

1. Designated authorities may access the EES for consultation where all of the following conditions are met:

(a) access for consultation is necessary for the purpose of the prevention, detection [X1 or investigation of a terrorist offence or another serious criminal offence;]

(b) access for consultation is necessary and proportionate in a specific case;

(c) evidence or reasonable grounds exist to consider that the consultation of the EES data will contribute to the prevention, detection or investigation of any of the criminal offences in question, in particular where there is a substantiated suspicion that the suspect, perpetrator or victim of a terrorist offence or other serious criminal offence falls under a category covered by this Regulation.

[F1 1a. In cases where the designated authorities have launched a query of the CIR in accordance with Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2019/817, they may access the EES for consultation where the conditions laid down in this Article are met and where the reply received as referred to in Article 22(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/817 reveals that data are stored in the EES.]

2. Access to the EES as a tool for the purpose of identifying an unknown suspect, perpetrator or suspected victim of a terrorist offence or other serious criminal offence shall be allowed where, in addition to the conditions listed in paragraph 1, the following conditions are met:

(a) a prior search has been conducted in national databases; and

(b) in the case of searches with fingerprints, a prior search has been launched in the automated fingerprint identification system of the other Member States under Decision 2008/615/JHA where comparisons of fingerprints are technically available, and either that search has been fully carried out, or that search has not been fully carried out within two days of being launched.

However, the additional conditions in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph shall not apply where there are reasonable grounds to believe that a comparison with the systems of the other Member States would not lead to the verification of the identity of the data subject or in a case of urgency where there is a need to prevent an imminent danger to the life of a person associated with a terrorist offence or another serious criminal offence. Those reasonable grounds shall be included in the electronic or written request sent by the operating unit of the designated authority to the central access point.

A request for consultation of the VIS on the same data subject may be submitted in parallel to a request for consultation of the EES in accordance with the conditions laid down in Council Decision 2008/633/JHA(1).

3. Access to the EES as a tool to consult the travel history or the periods of stay on the territory of the Member States of a known suspect, perpetrator or suspected victim of a terrorist offence or other serious criminal offence shall be allowed when the conditions listed in paragraph 1 are met.

4. Consultation of the EES for the purpose of identification as referred to in paragraph 2 shall be limited to searching in the individual file with any of the following EES data:

(a) fingerprints of visa-exempt third-country nationals or of holders of an FTD. In order to launch this consultation of the EES, latent fingerprints may be used and may therefore be compared with the fingerprints stored in the EES;

(b) facial images.

Consultation of the EES, in the event of a hit, shall give access to any other data taken from the individual file as listed in Article 16(1) and (6), Article 17(1) and Article 18(1).

5. Consultation of the EES for the travel history of the third-country national concerned shall be limited to searching with one or several of the following EES data in the individual file, in the entry/exit records or in the refusal of entry records:

(a) surname (family name); first name or names (given names); date of birth; nationality or nationalities; sex;

(b) type and number of travel document or documents, three letter code of the issuing country and date of expiry of the validity of the travel document;

(c) visa sticker number and the date of expiry of the validity of the visa;

(d) fingerprints, including latent fingerprints;

(e) facial image;

(f) date and time of entry, authority that authorised the entry and entry border crossing point;

(g) date and time of exit and exit border crossing point.

Consultation of the EES shall, in the event of a hit, give access to the data listed in the first subparagraph as well as to any other data taken from the individual file, the entry/exit records and refusal of entry records, including data related to the revocation or extension of an authorisation for short stay in accordance with Article 19.

Editorial Information

X1 Substituted by Corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2017 establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States and determining the conditions for access to the EES for law enforcement purposes, and amending the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement and Regulations (EC) No 767/2008 and (EU) No 1077/2011 (Official Journal of the European Union L 327 of 9 December 2017).

Textual Amendments

F1 Inserted by Regulation (EU) 2019/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 on establishing a framework for interoperability between EU information systems in the field of borders and visa and amending Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EU) 2016/399, (EU) 2017/2226, (EU) 2018/1240, (EU) 2018/1726 and (EU) 2018/1861 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Decisions 2004/512/EC and 2008/633/JHA.

(1)

Council Decision 2008/633/JHA of 23 June 2008 concerning access for consultation of the Visa Information System (VIS) by designated authorities of Member States and by Europol for the purposes of the prevention, detection and investigation of terrorist offences and of other serious criminal offences (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 129).