PL SA Representative on the ETIAS Fundamental Rights Guidance Board
Maria Jęda, Chief Coordinator for EU Large Scale IT Systems at the Personal Data Protection Office, has been selected by the European Data Protection Board to represent it on the ETIAS Fundamental Rights Guidance Board (EFRGB). She holds this position alongside two other representatives, from the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Germany and the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia. The Board was established under Article 10 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 and performs advisory and evaluative functions within the ETIAS system.
The participation of a representative from the Personal Data Protection Office in the Board’s work strengthens the Office’s involvement in activities at the European Union level regarding the supervision of large-scale information systems and helps ensure that their operation complies with European standards for the protection of personal data and fundamental rights.
Maria Jęda is the Chief Coordinator for EU Large Scale IT Systems at the Personal Data Protection Office and the Deputy Chair of the The Eurodac Supervision Coordination Group. She represents the President of the Personal Data Protection Office on the Coordinated Supervision Committee, as well as in the technical subgroups of the European Data Protection Board responsible for matters related to Directive 2016/680, PNR, and Schengen.
ETIAS System
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is an automated information system designed to assess security risks, risks of illegal immigration, or risks of epidemics posed by visa-exempt visitors traveling to the Schengen Area or Cyprus, while ensuring fundamental rights and data protection.
It was developed by the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice (eu-LISA).
Third-country nationals who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen Area will have to apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation before traveling. Once the application is submitted, the system will conduct checks against various EU databases, such as the Schengen Information System (SIS), the Visa Information System (VIS), the Entry/Exit System, and data from the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).
ETIAS is scheduled to be launched in October this year.
The mandate and tasks of the EFRGB
In accordance with its mandate, the EFRGB:
· conducts regular assessments of the impact of ETIAS application processing on fundamental rights,
· issues recommendations to the ETIAS Screening Board,
· supports the Board in carrying out its tasks, in particular by issuing opinions on matters related to fundamental rights.
The scope of work covers, in particular, issues related to respect for privacy, the protection of personal data, and the principle of non-discrimination, including in the context of screening and risk indicators (Article 33 of the Regulation).
The Board also has access to the results of checks carried out in the ETIAS system and participates—through its representatives—in the work of the ETIAS Screening Board in an advisory capacity.
In addition to representatives from the EDPB, the EFRGB also includes representatives from:
· Fundamental Rights Officer of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency,
· Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights,
· European Data Protection Supervisor,
· European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
The Board meets as needed, but at least twice a year. Frontex provides logistical support for its work, and meetings are held at Frontex’s headquarters. The Board also publishes annual reports on its activities.
More information on the activities of the EFRGB can be found on its website: https://www.frontex.europa.eu/what-we-do/etias-ees/etias-fundamental-rights-guidance-board/