PL SA in the leadership of the Eurodac Supervision Coordination Group

During the 42nd meeting of the Eurodac Supervision Coordination Group, the representative of the President of the Personal Data Protection Office – Maria Jęda, Chief Coordinator for EU Large Scale IT Systems – was elected as the Vice-Chair of the Group.

The Eurodac Supervision Coordination Group is a platform through which data protection authorities responsible for supervising the Eurodac system cooperate within their mandates to ensure coordinated supervision of Eurodac.

The Coordination Group aims to strengthen cooperation between the supervisory authorities responsible for monitoring the lawfulness of the processing of personal data under the Eurodac Regulation. It aims at facilitating the exchange of relevant information, supports supervisory authorities in carrying out inspections and audits within their respective powers. It examines difficulties in the interpretation or application of this Regulation and studies problems related to the exercise of independent supervision or the exercise of data subjects’ rights. The Group may also draw up harmonised proposals for joint solutions to any problems and promote awareness of data protection rights.

Every two years the Eurodac Supervision Coordination Group elects a Chair and a Vice-Chair among the members of the Group in accordance with the Group's Rules of Procedure.

Eurodac is a biometric database containing fingerprints of asylum applicants and non-EU/EEA nationals for comparison between EU Member States. It makes it easier for Member States to determine responsibility for examining an asylum application by comparing the fingerprints of asylum applicants and non-EU/EEA nationals against a central database. It also enables law-enforcement authorities, subject to strict conditions, to consult Eurodac for the investigation, detection and prevention of terrorist or serious criminal offences.

Each Member State must take the fingerprints of all applicants for international protection and those apprehended while trying to cross a border irregularly over the age of 14 and, within 72 hours, transmit the data to Eurodac. When an applicant for international protection or non-EU/EEA national has been found to be present illegally in a Member State, then that Member State can consult Eurodac to determine whether the individual has previously applied for international protection in a Member State or has previously been apprehended when trying to unlawfully enter the EU. Fingerprint data should be erased once applicants for international protection, non-EU/EEA nationals or stateless persons obtain citizenship of a Member State.

Regulation (EU) 603/2013 will be repealed and replaced by Regulation (EU) 2024/1358 as of June 12, 2026.

Detailed information about the functioning of the Eurodac Supervision Coordination Group can be found on the website of the Personal Data Protection Office: https://uodo.gov.pl/pl/539/2530

More information about EU Large Scale IT Systems will be available in the June edition of the Personal Data Protection Office Bulletin.