FRC researchers, together with 6 other partner countries are conducting fieldwork research into the fundamental rights implications of biometric data in large EU IT systems in the areas of borders, visa and asylum. The project will involve fieldwork to look at practices in Belgium and how these impact on fundamental rights. This research will consider the potential vulnerabilities of those concerned, such as asylum seekers, refugees, irregular immigrants, or third-country nationals that applied for a visa or were banned from entering the EU. In addition, the project can look at issues related to the general population, as data on EU citizens may also be included in some systems.
On 3 March 2016, the VUB Research team held a national training meeting, with contributions from the FRA Management team, Ann-Charlotte Nygard and the project coordinator, ETICAS Research and Consulting.