Combating document fraud: FADO image-archiving system

SUMMARY OF:

Joint Action 98/700/JHA concerning the setting up of a European image-archiving system

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE JOINT ACTION?

It sets up a European Union (EU) internet-based image archiving system known as FADO (False and Authentic Documents Online). This allows the rapid sharing between EU countries of images of genuine, false and forged documents, in order to aid in combating document and identity fraud.

Joint Action 98/700/JHA is repealed and will be replaced in a few years by Regulation (EU) 2020/493 (see summary), although the existing information has been transferred to the new FADO system to be set up by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

KEY POINTS

The system is multilingual, designed to be user-friendly and based on very strict codification to ensure the standardisation and security of the information.
One central service in each participating country links to the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, but each EU and Schengen country is free to copy the system or develop its own system for secured internal data distribution.
The system ensures that the information can be transmitted quickly to the national central services.
The setting up of the EU system does not prevent EU countries from developing their own national systems to meet their own border security and document verification requirements.
The system is in particular designed to allow for:
- viewing zoomed images of documents, where necessary;
- on-screen comparison between original and forged documents;
- access to information on forgery and security techniques;
- cross-referencing so that users can find related information rapidly;
- notifications about particular false documents.
Priority is given to EU countries’ documents and those of non-EU countries from where there are regular immigration flows.
On 1 December 2014, the United Kingdom (1) notified the European Commission that in the field of police cooperation it wished to go on participating in the joint action. This was confirmed by Commission Decision 2014/858/EU.

Repeal

Joint Action 98/700/JHA is repealed by Regulation (EU) 2020/493.

FROM WHEN DOES THE JOINT ACTION APPLY?

It has applied since 10 December 1998.

BACKGROUND

The increasing number of genuine and false travel, identity and other supporting documents, such as passports, residence permits and visas, and increasingly sophisticated forgery techniques mean that the tools needed to combat document and identity fraud have to include fast and efficient information sharing.

For more information, see:

Document security (European Commission).

MAIN DOCUMENT

Joint Action 98/700/JHA of 3 December 1998 adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union concerning the setting up of a European Image Archiving System (FADO) (OJ L 333, 9.12.1998, pp. 4-7)