Technology of last generation for border control, tested at the South-western border of Romania

24/11/2016

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PRESS RELEASE OF THE BORDER POLICE

Technology of last generation for border control, tested at the South-western border of Romania

The border police of Romania is one of the 27 partners of the Project of Research and Development ‘FastPass – Workflow and functionality of the automatic control gates at the border ABC gates’, a pilot project under the coordination of the Austrian Institute of Technology. The duration of the project is 48 months (2012-2016). Romania via the Border Police has the role, unique in the EU, of assuring the implementation of the ABC gates system (automated border control) at the land border, at PTF Moravita.

Between 8 November – 15 December 2016 in PTF Moravita road – ITPF Timisoara the functionality of the automated control gates at the border is being tested as part of the project coordinated by specialists from the Austrian Institute of Technology.

The FASTPASS project proposes a harmonized and modular approach for the automatized control of the European borders (ABC gates). The purpose is to test and supply a solution, on the one hand to facilitate the control procedures at the border for the good faith of citizens who transit the borders of the European Union and, on the other hand, of modernizing, speeding up and improving the management of the external borders, respecting at the same time the aspects related to the protection of data and private life.

This research project, of which the Romanian Border Police is also part, is coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Technology and gathers representatives of the industry producing systems and components, research institutions, universities, government authorities, data protection authorities as well as the final users, with in total 27 partners involved.

For the creation of optimal conditions in carrying out this project, the Romanian Border Police, under the coordination of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, collaborated with the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing.

In the context of this project, both in the preparatory stage and in the testing one, the project’s coordinator, the Austrian Institute of Technology, works in close cooperation with the European Agency for Border Police and Cost Guard (Frontex), the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), EUROPOL and the European Commission.

Background information

The project lasts 48 months (2012-2016) and Romania has a unique role in the EU, with the Border Police assuring the implementation of the ABC gates system (Automated Border Control) at the land border, at PTF Moravita.

The project implies the use of an automatic system at the land border, unique at EU-level, for the checking of travel documents for persons and cars, live capture of the facial image, the capture of live image from the electronic chip of the passport, the verification of the facial image, the identification and automatic recognition of the registration numbers of the vehicles and their verification by means of a database.

The participation of the travelers in these tests is done on a voluntary basis, therefore, in accordance with national legislation, the citizen’s consent is necessary. The personal data will be stocked in the project’s database only for the duration of the tests and after the obtainment and interpretation of the results of the tests, the data will be erased. The collection of these data by the border police will be made only for the purpose of a quantitative analysis, with the strict observance of the legal requirements in the matter, certified by national authorities responsible for personal data protection.

At the border point PTF Moravita, informative materials (flyers) will be made available by the Consortium FastPass. Moreover, the staff of the Romanian Border Police will supervise the testing process of the ABC system and will be able to supply the travelers with necessary clarifications regarding the purpose of this project.

Automated control gate at the South-western border of Romania