Greatly improving the management of verifying individuals at the EU’s borders, the European Commission has officially launched the Shared Biometric Matching Service. Also streamlining immigration procedures, the powerful fingerprint and facial matching service, represents a foundational element of the EU’s interoperability strategy. It will contain approximately 400 million biometric templates.
The sBMS introduces advanced biometric technology capable of both fingerprint and facial recognition, marking the first time facial recognition is integrated into such a system at the EU level to increase the security across the Schengen Area.
As well as improved identity verification processes for visas, border checks, and asylum applications, the system prioritises data protection, employing secure storage and strict access controls to safeguard personal information.
This is the launch of the first component of the EU’s interoperability framework, delivered by eu-LISA – the agency responsible for the technical implementation of the EU’s IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
This framework is designed to allow seamless collaboration of data sharing among EU-wide information systems used in justice and home affairs.
In parallel, the Visa Information System has been upgraded to interoperate with the Entry/Exit System.
The sBMS will activate on 19 May, which signals the EU’s commitment to building a safer and more connected Europe, as digital infrastructure becomes an increasingly interoperable component of security and migration governance.
