BLOG FORUM
Interoperable Information Systems in the EU Area of Freedom, Security and Justice

On 28 January 2020, we celebrated the official ‘Data Protection Day’, just 20 months after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force1.

As a result, it is extremely timely to reflect on the implications and main challenges inherent to the increasing interconnections of EU databases containing information of migrants, refugees and citizens.

With this in mind, the Migration Policy Centre and the Department of Law of the European University Institute are launching a new Blog Forum on the Interoperability of EU Migration, Asylum and Security Databases.

This Blog Forum addresses key questions that are at the intersection of EU migration policies and privacy, including:

  • What does privacy and data protection mean for immigrants and asylum seekers in the EU in a context of interoperable EU databases?
  • How does interoperability of EU migration and security databases affect the privacy of migrants, asylum seekers and EU citizens?
  • To whom does data belong to, and does ownership of data guarantee less or more protections for individuals? 

This Blog Forum is part of the research project ‘Un-Owned Personal Data – Interoperable EU Borders and Transitioning Rights’.

1. See Joint Statement by European Commission Vice-President Jourová and Commissioner Reynders ahead of Data Protection Day (27 January 2020): https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_20_120