Have your say – Digitalising travel documents
You can also get involved in forming EU laws. The European Commission offers a platform “Have your say” with the list of all new EU initiatives open for public consultation. You need to register to write your feedback: ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say
Travel – digitalising travel documents to make travelling easier
About this initiative: Digital travel documents can be easier to issue than physical ones. This initiative aims to decide on a common format for digital travel documents and to make travelling easier.
Feedback period: for stage 5 it is 24 October 2024 – 08 January 2025
Feedback from Europeans for Safe Connections
We “Europeans for Safe Connections” think that this draft regulation appears comprehensive, however, some potential weaknesses and risks could impact its implementation, effectiveness, and compliance. Here’s a breakdown of possible concerns:
– While Article 7 states that personal data should not be stored beyond necessity, specifics on retention periods and processes for removing data upon consent revocation are limited. These should be clarified to align with GDPR principles, ensuring data is not held indefinitely. Although Article 7(4) specifies that data should not be stored on the backend validation service or Traveller Router beyond necessity, the vague language might leave room for misinterpretation. Clear guidelines on storage, including maximum duration and specific circumstances for data retention, could help mitigate risks of over-retention.
– Article 7(5) allows users to revoke their consent to process their data, but the operational implications are unclear. For instance, it does not specify what happens if a user revokes consent mid-travel. This could disrupt border control processes if systems cannot handle real-time data changes.
– We suggest to add the following point 3 into the Article 1:
“Physical paper documents will continue to co-exist and can not be discriminated in any way.”
This regulation should take into account largely negative opinions submitted in the public consultation. Moreover, this regulation assumes that biometric verification systems will work smoothly, yet technical issues are likely to occur. The absence of contingency plans for handling system failures (e.g., if a facial recognition system fails or is down) could lead to delays, particularly at borders. Moreover in the present situation with problematic energy supply it is vital to maintain the use of physical documents. In a situation where energy supplies fail and digital solutions cannot be accessed, serious life-threatening situations can arise. It is crucial that physical / analogue documents stay in the system parallel to digital ones. Digital systems are not error-free and cannot be relied on 100%. Sometimes it’s the citizen’s fault, sometimes it’s the system’s fault.
– This regulation relies on mobile technology, potentially creating barriers for individuals with limited digital access or proficiency. There is no mention of accessibility standards (e.g., for people with disabilities), which may be required to meet EU inclusivity standards.
– We suggest to add the following sentence into the Article 10, Information campaign:
“Border checks and scanners will be visibly labelled with a sign that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields are present.”
This means that a citizen will not be exposed to radiation from a device or infrastructure for wireless scanning of digital documents until informed of the type of radiation and given the option of having the documents scanned in another way:
– further from citizen’s body
– with the cabled scanner
– use of physical documents
Among the EU’s values is that minorities are respected. Electro Sensitive people are a minority and the EU should respect their wish not to be exposed to RF EMF. This includes radio frequency scanners, but also transport without Wi-Fi services.
Read more here https://signstop5g.eu/en/solutions/protection-of-all-life-on-earth/proposal-9
Best regards
Europeans for Safe Connections
This feedback was sent from a wired internet connection
– No use of harmful radiation
– Less electricity consumption
– Increased data security
Link to our feedback: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13514-Travel-digitalising-travel-documents-to-make-travelling-easier/F3513307_en
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