After coordination with the European Parliament and the EU Council, the regulation will acquire the force of law. Commenting on this document, European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini noted that the VIS system will solve two tasks: combat illegal immigration to Europe and facilitate travel for law-abiding foreigners within the Schengen area. The VIS system will consist of a central European database connected to national immigration systems. It will allow consulates and other competent bodies of member states to promptly obtain information about persons applying for Schengen visas and make decisions faster.
The second role of the system is to identify illegal immigrants subject to deportation from EU member states. As for asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, the VIS database will store not only text data and photos, but also fingerprints. Given the sensitivity of this issue from the point of view of human rights, strict confidentiality measures and clear legal mechanisms are necessary. According to ITAR-TASS, in the near future the European Commission will begin negotiations with the European Parliament on their coordination.
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