Text tabled : A6-0061/2009

  Luca Romagnoli (NI), in writing. – (IT) Mr President, I intend to support Mrs Hennis-Plasschaert’s report on the important issue of the next steps in border management in the European Union and similar experiences in third countries. I agree with the rapporteur that it is essential to evaluate and assess existing measures within the framework of border management before investing further resources and developing the systems that the Commission seems to prefer, namely an exit/entry system for all third country nationals, a registered traveller programme (RTP) also open to them and a framework for the development of local registered traveller schemes and automated border controls. These procedures have great potential but it needs to be stressed, and in this respect, I welcome the rapporteur’s work, that absolute priority must be given to guaranteeing the protection of personal data and the development of technology that is minimally invasive from the point of view of people’s confidentiality, not forgetting, finally, a thorough cost-benefit analysis.