On July 13 the Department for European Affairs highlighted two new European Commission consultations, one of which seeks stakeholder input on draft legislation governing the automated exchange of biometric data—such as fingerprints and facial images—between EU Member States and trusted third countries. The proposal would amend existing police-cooperation frameworks to include safeguards on data quality and retention. Although the consultation is EU-wide, Rome’s early notice signals that the government intends to feed in national priorities—chiefly, accelerating security checks without breaching privacy rules. If enacted, the regulation would allow Italian border guards to query external partners’ databases in real time, potentially reducing secondary-line screening times at airports and ferry ports. For businesses the main benefit could be faster entry for visa-exempt travellers enrolled in pre-clearance programmes, but privacy-compliance teams should note that corporate biometric databases (e.g., employee facial-recognition access systems) may fall within the scope of the new rules if linked to public authorities. The public can submit comments until September 9. Trade bodies representing airlines, cruise operators and global-mobility service providers are expected to lobby for clear service-level agreements so that system outages in a third country do not strand passengers in Italy. Legal advisers recommend that companies mapping employee-data flows across borders review record-keeping and DPIA documentation in anticipation of stricter audit requirements once the regulation enters force, likely in 2028.
