High Level Expert Group Meetings on the Use of Biometric Techniques

05.07.2022

On 23 June and 5 July 2022, ELI organised High Level Expert Group (HLEG) meetings on the Use of Biometric Techniques. Leading experts from academia as well as policy-makers and practitioners explored the topic further and worked on the scope of a prospective ELI project in the field.

The first meeting was continued in more depth at a second meeting in which the scope of a prospective ELI project in the field was the focus.

Didier Meuwly (Full Professor in forensic biometrics University of Twente, Delft), chaired both meetings. He emphasised the need to bridge the gap between scientists and lawyers in the field of biometrics before opening discussion.

Fundamental issues pertaining to the topic were discussed by a group of experts: Anna Buchta (Head of Unit, Policy and Consultation, European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)), Iris Eisenberger (Professor, Chair of Innovation and Public Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Vienna)Dinusha Frings (Chief Executive Officer, European Association for Biometrics)Els Kindt (Post-doc legal researcher and board member at the Centre for IT and IP Law (CITIP) of KU Leuven, Professor at the Leiden University),  Eleni Kosta (Professor of Technology Law and Human Rights, Tilburg University), Sébastien Marcel (Professor and Senior Researcher in Biometrics Security and Privacy, University of Lausanne), Michal Nespor (Head of Justice and Security Sector at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)), Irina Orssich (Head of Sector AI Policy, DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology (EU Commission)), Walter Peissl (Deputy Director of the Institute for Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ITA) in Vienna), Ernestina Sacchetto (Lawyer, Ph.D. in Biometrics & Criminal Justice), Joëlle Vuille (Professor and Criminal Law specialist, University of Fribourg), Daniela Zimmer (Legal Expert at the Austrian Chamber of Labour (Bundesarbeitskammer, AK)).

ELI President, Pascal Pichonnaz, and ELI Scientific Director, Christiane Wendehorst, also participated in the meetings.

Participants were joined by ELI Project Officer, Laura Papasodaro.

ELI would like to express its gratitude to the experts for their valuable contributions, which will be consolidated and then considered by the ELI Executive Committee and Council.