Access to Justice and Europe&#039;s Digital Borders

Dr. Hanna Stoll

doi:10.5771/9783748966128

Summary

As Europe’s migration system becomes increasingly digital, vast amounts of biometric and personal data are collected and shared across interconnected EU databases. But how can an asylum seeker or irregular migrant access, correct, or erase their data within this complex web? This book explores access to justice in the interoperable Eurodac system, examining rights to information, data access, rectification, erasure, and effective remedy. It highlights key data protection and due process challenges in this digitised system and extends the analysis beyond the EU, considering implementation in Schengen/Dublin-associated states like Switzerland and developments in EU accession countries integrated into the EU’s migration data framework. This title is also available as open access.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2026
ISBN-Print: 978-3-7560-3548-9
ISBN-Online: 978-3-7489-6612-8
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Schriften zum Migrationsrecht
Volume: 53
Language: English
Pages: 572
Product type: Book Titles

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1. Acknowledgements
2. Abbreviations
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1. I. Background: Externalisation, Digitalisation and the Intertwining of Migration and Security
2. II. A Vision: Interoperability and Automated Digital Identities
3. III. Research Questions and Structure
4. IV. Method
5. V. Limitations
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1. 1. 1. Human Dignity, Privacy and Data Protection in Europe
  2. 1. a) Why a Universal Concept of Human Dignity Is Important
    2. b) A Universal Core to Human Dignity
    3. c) Universalist Human Rights Theories
    4. d) Conclusions
  3. 3. Privacy as a Personal Right
  4. 4. Conclusions
2. 1. 1. What Is Access to Justice?
  2. 2. Access to Justice in International Law
  3. 3. Access to Justice in European Law
  4. 4. Access to Justice in the Digital Age
  5. 1. a) Access to Information
    2. b) Legal Certainty
    3. c) Compliance with the Law and Prevention of Abuse
    4. d) Independence of the Judiciary
    5. e) Equality and Non-Discrimination
    6. f) Effective Remedies and Fair Trial
    7. g) Effectiveness of Judicial Decisions
3. III. Conclusions
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1. I. The European Union’s Interoperable Information Systems
2. 1. 1. Remodelling Eurodac as a Comprehensive Biometric and Biographic Information System
  2. 1. a) Legal Basis and Purpose
    2. b) Affected Persons
    3. 1. aa) Components of Eurodac
      2. bb) Taking of Biometric Data
      3. cc) Transmission of Data
      4. dd) Marking of Data
      5. ee) Processing and Comparing of Data
    4. 1. aa) Collection of Data
      2. bb) Storage and Erasure of Data
      3. cc) Keeping of Records
      4. dd) Statistics
    5. 1. aa) Access to Data in the CIR
      2. aaa) Member States of Origin
        bbb) Designated Authorities
        ccc) Europol
        ddd) ETIAS Central System and ETIAS National Unit
        eee) VIS
        fff) Third Countries, Private Entities and International Organisations
        ggg) eu-LISA
3. 1. 1. Connecting the European Union’s Migration Information Systems
  2. 2. Legal Basis and Purpose: Regulation (EU) 2019/818
  3. 1. a) European Search Portal (ESP)
    2. b) shared Biometric Matching Service (sBMS)
    3. c) Common Identity Repository (CIR)
    4. d) Multiple-Identity Detector (MID)
  4. 1. a) The Web Portal
    2. b) The Central Repository for Reporting and Statistics (CRRS)
    3. c) Security, Data Controllers and Processors
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1. 1. 1. a) International Human Rights Law Applicable in Europe
    2. 1. aa) Rights to Privacy
      2. bb) Good Administration, Effective Remedy and Fair Trial
    3. 1. aa) General Data Protection Regulation
      2. bb) Police Directive
      3. cc) Data Protection Regulation for EU Institutions and Bodies
    4. d) Eurodac Regulation and AMMR
    5. e) Interoperability Regulation
  2. 1. 1. aaa) Purposes
        bbb) Security Flags
        ccc) Recipients
        ddd) Transfer of Data to Third Countries
        eee) Data Breach
      2. aaa) The Interoperability System and Automated Processing in the MID
        bbb) Cross-Checking Data
        ccc) Encompassing Access by the Police
        ddd) Controllers with Regard to Eurodac Data
        eee) New Functions
    2. 1. aa) Asylum, Resettlement, Temporary Protection or Apprehension in an Irregular Situation
      2. bb) Take-Back Procedures
      3. aaa) Eurodac Regulation
        bbb) Interoperability Regulation
    3. 1. aa) The Leaflets
      2. bb) Receiving Information on the Ground
      3. aaa) Children
        bbb) Persons with Disabilities
  3. 1. a) Commentary and Scholars’ Opinions
    2. b) EU Case Law
    3. c) National Case Law
  4. 4. Conclusions
2. 1. 1. a) International Human Rights Law Applicable in Europe
    2. b) EU Human Rights Law: European Charter of Fundamental Rights
    3. 1. aa) General Data Protection Regulation
      2. bb) Police Directive
      3. cc) Data Protection Regulation for EU Institutions and Bodies
    4. d) Eurodac Regulation
    5. e) Interoperability Regulation
  2. 1. 1. aa) Data Subjects
      2. aaa) Use of Children’s Data (Accompanied and Unaccompanied Minors)
        bbb) Access to Children’s Data
      3. cc) Persons with Disabilities
      4. aaa) Applicability of the Interoperability Regulation
        bbb) Applicability of the Eurodac Regulation
        ccc) Access from outside the EU: Is an Ineffective Right Still a Right?
    2. 1. aaa) Requesting Access or Contesting a Decision
        bbb) Addressee for the Access Request
        ccc) Identification of the Data Subject
        ddd) Form of the Access Request
        eee) Fee for the Access Request
        fff) Restriction of the Right to Access
        ggg) Time Limit for an Answer to the Request
        hhh) Form of the Data Provided
      2. bb) Eurodac Data in the Interoperability System
      3. cc) Conclusions
    3. 1. aaa) Personal Data Relating to Him or Her
        aaa) Eurodac Hit
        bbb) Security Flag
        ccc) Logs and Records on Recipients of Data
        ddd) Reasons for Rejection
        eee) Information Regarding Sharing of Data
        fff) Anonymised Data
      2. aaa) Data in the CIR and sBMS
        bbb) Data in the MID and Automated Processing
        ccc) Logs Documenting Access
        ddd) Statistical Data
      3. cc) Conclusions
  3. 1. a) Access to Information on Law Enforcement Access
    2. b) Access to Eurodac Data in Migration Procedures
    3. c) Access to Eurodac by Authorities
  4. 4. Conclusions
3. 1. 1. a) International Human Rights Law Applicable in Europe
    2. b) EU Human Rights Law: The European Charter of Fundamental Rights
    3. 1. aa) General Data Protection Regulation
      2. bb) Data Protection Regulation for EU Institutions and Bodies
      3. cc) Police Directive
    4. d) Eurodac Regulation and AMMR
    5. e) Interoperability Regulation
  2. 1. a) Who Can Request Rectification, Completion, Erasure and Restriction of Data?
    2. 1. aaa) Personal Data and Information
        bbb) Eurodac Hit
        ccc) Security Flag
        ddd) Data Retrieved from Eurodac
        eee) Completion of Data Sets
      2. aaa) Data in the CIR and sBMS
        bbb) Logs and Data Retrieved from the Interoperability Systems
        ccc) Links Indicating Deleted Data
    3. 1. aaa) Inaccurate Data
        bbb) Unlawfully Recorded Data
        ccc) Retention Periods
        ddd) Not-Ongoing Investigations
      2. aaa) Data Quality
        bbb) Retention Periods
        ccc) The Web Portal and its Limits
      3. cc) Standard of Proof
  3. 1. a) Numbers
    2. b) Studies
    3. c) European Case Law
    4. d) National Case Law
  4. 4. Conclusions
4. 1. 1. a) International Human Rights Instruments
    2. 1. aa) ECHR
      2. bb) CFR
  2. 1. 1. aaa) Eurodac Regulation
      2. bbb) Interoperability Regulation
      3. ccc) Conditions for Compensation Claims in the EU
    2. 1. aa) National Level: Art. 43 AMMR, Asylum and Return Procedures
      2. bb) EU Level: Preliminary Ruling
  3. 1. 1. aa) Eurodac Regulation
      2. bb) Interoperability Regulation
    2. b) Tasks of the Data Protection Authorities under the GDPR
  4. 4. Penalties
  5. 5. Remedies According to the GDPR
  6. 1. 1. aa) Composite Procedures within the EU
      2. aaa) Qualifying Information Sharing, Hits and Security Flags
        bbb) Reviewing Preparatory Measures
        ccc) Reviewing ‘Purely Factual Conduct’
    2. 1. aa) Conditions for Mutual Trust – and its Loss
      2. bb) Trust in the Age of Automated Administrative Systems
    3. c) Intensity of Review
    4. 1. aa) With Regard to Biometric or Biographic Data and Eurodac Hits
      2. bb) With Regard to Security Flags
  7. 1. 1. aa) Data Transfer to Third Countries
      2. bb) Data Transfer within the Schengen Area
    2. b) Remedy against Access of Law Enforcement Authorities
    3. c) Remedy against Decisions with Help of EUAA and EBCG Agency Officers
  8. 8. Conclusions
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1. 1. 1. Schengen/Dublin-Associated Countries
  2. 1. 1. aa) Development of Bilateral Relations
      2. aaa) Schubert-Practice
        bbb) Direct Applicability
        ccc) Parallel Interpretation
      3. cc) Dispute Resolution According to the Bilateral Agreements
      4. dd) Differences for Data Subjects in Switzerland and the EU
    2. 1. aa) Eurodac Regulation
      2. bb) Interoperability Regulations
      3. cc) Conclusions
    3. c) Applicability of the General Data Protection Regulation
    4. 1. aa) Differences between the ECHR and the CFR
      2. bb) References to the CFR in the Eurodac and Interoperability Regulations
      3. aaa) Highest Courts in Switzerland
        bbb) Court of Justice in the EU
      4. dd) Arguments by Legal Scholars
      5. ee) Conclusions
  3. 1. a) The Right to Information
    2. b) The Right to Access, Rectification and Erasure
    3. c) Invoking Swiss Rights in the EU
    4. d) Conclusions
2. 1. 1. How Eurodac and Interoperability Are Expanded beyond the Schengen Area
  2. 2. Conclusions
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1. 1. Where Do We Stand
2. 2. The Dignity of the Data Subject
3. 1. a) Implementing the Right to Information
  2. b) Making the Right to Access Data and Information Robust
  3. c) Facilitating the Right to Rectification and Erasure
  4. d) Ensuring an Effective Remedy
4. 4. Looking Ahead: Rethinking Migrants’ Data in Europe
5. 5. Final Thoughts
BibliographyPages 535 - 558 Download chapter (PDF)
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1. 1. CJEU
  2. European Ombudsman
  3. ECtHR
2. 1. Belgian Courts
  2. Courts of the United Kingdom
  3. Dutch Courts
  4. French Courts
  5. German Courts
  6. Irish Courts
  7. Italian Courts
  8. Slovenian Courts
  9. South African Courts
  10. Swiss Courts