BRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - The European Union's central asylum database, Eurodac, suffered a technical malfunction on Friday, the day the bloc's landmark migration and asylum pact went into force, Dutch immigration authorities confirmed.
The system, which stores biometric data and is pivotal to the new framework, suffered malfunctions during a system update. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) said the database had not been fully operational even prior to the failure, and several EU member states were affected.
EU spokesperson Marcus Lammert played down the issue at the EU's daily press briefing.
"Any first day of a new system will have technical glitches. This is normal," he said, adding, "the information that I'm getting is that member states are gradually linking in and that it's going rather well."
Many member states are reportedly unprepared to implement the requirements of the migration pact. Several countries lack the infrastructure to execute the new screening procedures while others, such as the Netherlands, have encountered technical difficulties with the revamped Eurodac database.
Under the EU’s migration pact, new screening rules will require migrants arriving at the border through irregular channels to undergo a mandatory procedure lasting up to seven days, allowing authorities to register them in the revamped Eurodac system.
The database collects biometric and identity data, including fingerprints, facial images and copies of travel documents. Some minors are also included.
Officials will then assess vulnerabilities, nationality and asylum intentions before channelling individuals into the appropriate procedure, including accelerated border processes for applicants deemed unlikely to qualify for protection, such as those from countries considered safe.
(Reporting by Leo Marchandon and Amina IsmailEditing by Gareth Jones)
