Travelers to Europe may face fingerprinting under new security plan

LONDON -- Americans and other foreigners entering and leaving Europe would be fingerprinted under a proposal to combat terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration to be unveiled Wednesday.

The proposal is to be laid out in detail in Brussels by Franco Frattini, the European Commission's vice president in charge of justice and security. It would apply to tourists or business travelers visiting Europe for up to six months, as well as those staying longer on a visa for work or study.

It stems from calls from many European ministers to tighten security measures and better share information following the alleged plot to blow up passenger jets from London's Heathrow airport to the USA. On Aug. 10, 2006, British police said they foiled that plot.

The fingerprinting proposal was welcomed in Washington, where Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said that he is growing increasingly concerned about the potential threat that European-based terrorism posed to the USA.

The proposal must be approved by the European Parliament before it could take effect, however, and it could take a year or longer before it could be implemented.

Taking digital fingerprints would allow European security authorities to help check travelers' identities against lists of suspected terrorists and criminals, said Frattini spokesman Friso Roscam Abbing.

He said it also would be a key element of a major undertaking to identify who is entering the 27-nation European Union and help guarantee they don't overstay their welcome. Illegal immigration is a growing concern across Europe.

"We have 150 million entries and 150 million exits a year and we have no information on them," Roscam Abbing said.

Roscam Abbing said the collection of biometric information on travelers could be extended to taking digital photographs and iris scans of visitors' eyes and putting the information put into a European-wide database.

That information also could be used to ease travelers' border crossings in a "fast-track" fashion as they travel from one European country to another once they arrive in the EU bloc, he said.