Bulgaria to Face EU Court for Failing on Information Exchange Rules

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The European Commission took a decision on Thursday to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fulfill one of its mandatory obligations on the exchange of information.

"The Commission decided today to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the EU for non-implementation of the obligation to create a Single Point of Contact to ensure the mandatory exchange of information under the EU document security legislation," the Commission said in a press release.

The Single Point of Contact allows the exchange of information in order to access the fingerprint images on e-passports and e-residence permits for third country nationals. This process lets authorities in EU Member States securely read information saved on the chips contained in all biometric passports, travel documents and residence permits issued by other member states.

Bulgaria has failed to implement the Single Point of Contact provisions that should have been put in action by May 20, 2012, despite receiving a formal notice from the EU Commission in January 2014 and later a reasoned opinion in April 2015, according to the statement.