President Karol Nawrocki signed the proposed measure into effect after it was approved by both houses of parliament, state news agency PAP reported.
The new law governs the country’s participation in the European Union’s Eurodac biometric database system.
Eurodac stores and compares biometric data—primarily fingerprints—of people applying for asylum or international protection, as well as migrants found to be staying irregularly in the bloc.
The measure approved by Nawrocki sets out the legal framework for Poland’s participation in the system, which allows member states to check whether a third-country national or stateless person has previously applied for protection in another EU country.
Under the law, authorities can collect biometric data from third-country nationals or stateless persons aged 6 and older who are registered as beneficiaries of temporary protection.
Previously, Eurodac applied to individuals aged 14 and above.
The law also authorizes officers to use coercive measures if necessary to obtain biometric data.
Collected data are transmitted to the Eurodac database via a national access point, where it can be stored, compared and updated.
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Source: IAR, PAP