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23 May 2011 Schengen acquis , borders, visa policy and data retention -update. Schengen acquis. Iceland is a Schengen Member State since 1996.
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23 May 2011 Schengenacquis, borders, visa policy and data retention -update
Schengen acquis • Iceland is a Schengen MemberStatesince 1996. • AnAssociationagreementwiththe EU wassignedon 18 May 1999, approvedbytheAlthingi, creatingthelegalbasis of theIcelandicparticipationinthe Schengen cooperation, withtheActonPersonalDataProtectionNo 77/2000 – implementingthe EEA-relevantPersonalDataProtectionDirective 95/46/EC • Full participationin Schengen fromMarch 2001. TheIcelandicimplementation of theacquisaswellasthepracticaloperationinIcelandwasapproved of inthe Schengen Evaluation of theNordiccountriescarriedoutin 2005-6. • Thesecond Schengen EvaluationintheNordiccountrieswilltakeplacein 2011. PrimaryImplementinglegislation: The SIS law – Act on the Schengen Information System in IcelandNo 16/2000 • The SIS RegulationNo 112/2001 TheActonforeignersNo 96/2002(includesvisas, borders, expulsion, Dublin etc.) - RegulationonforeignersNo 53/2003
Schengen acquis- update • The SIS law– Act on the Schengen Information System in IcelandNo 16/2000 was amended by law 129/2005, implementing Regulation (EC) 871/2004, Decision 2005/451/JHA and Decision 2005/211/JHA (fight against terrorism) and Regulation(EC) nr. 1160/2005 (access to SIS for vehicle registration authorities) • The SIS Law is consideredtobe sufficient legalbasis for the SIS II Acts, soimplementation of thosemaybecompletedthroughadministrativerules. • - The SIS RegulationNo 112/2001, a minoramendmentwasmadetothe Regulation byregulationNo 640/2007, inaccordancewith a recommendationfollowingthe Schengen evaluationin 2005-6, tofurtherstrengthenthewording of theobligation of thePolicetofollowtheinstructions of theDataProtectionAuthority.
Schengen acquis- update, cont. • TheActonforeignersNo 96/2002 hasbeenamendedbyLawNo 86/2008, whichbothstrengthenedthelegalbase for theRegulationon Borders No 1212/2007 andcreated a solidlegalbase for theupcomingimplementing of the Visa Code. TheActonForeigners wasfurtheramendedbyLawNo 114/2010, tostrenghtenthelegalbase for thecooperationwith FRONTEX andto form a legalbase for theimplementation of the RABIT (Rapid Border InterventionTeams) participation of Icelandic Border guards • - TheRegulationonforeignersNo 53/2003 wasamendedwiththeissuing of Regulationon Borders No 1212/2007, whichimplementsthe Schengen Borders Code (lateramendedbyregulationNo 1159/2010 ) andbytheRegulationonvisasNo 1160/2010, implementingthe Visa Code. • A newregulationtocompletetheimplementation of theReturnDirective 2008/115/EC, whichhasitslegalbaseintheActonForeigners, is inpreparationintheMinistry of theInterior.
Borders- update • FADO Following the conclusion of an agreement on classified documents with the EU, which entered into force on 1 March 2007, Iceland actively participates and contributes to the FADO database on False Documents and effectively exchanges information with Schengen partners on the numerous false documents detected on the Icelandic –USA/Canada air-borders • FRONTEX Icelandic Coast-Guard’s vessels and airplane have participated in recent Frontex operations in the Mediterranean Sea • Agreement on the External Borders Fund Iceland concluded on 29 March 2011 the ratification procedure of an Agreement with the EU on the participation in the External Borders Fund for the Period 2007-2013, in which the financial contribution from Iceland to the strengthening of the most pressured Schengen external borders is provided. • Internal Border Controlhas been activated for short time periods a couple of times in Iceland in recent years, each time on grounds of threat to public security relating to visits from Nordic Hell’s Angel’s members intending to found a branch in Iceland. Notifications in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code were issued each time and the measures were found to be successful and moderate.
Visas- update • Icelandhasissuedvisasin Beijing from 2007 andwillcontinuetodoso for thetimebeing. This is thefirstandonlyIcelandicconsularpostissuingvisassince 2001, whenIcelandchoserepresentationagreementswithother Schengen States rather thanissue Schengen visas,intheveryfewIcelandicEmbassiesaroundtheworld. • New detailedRegulation, implementingthe Visa Code, wasissuedinIcelandin 2010 (RegulationNo 1160/2010) • TechnicalpreparationinIceland for thelaunch of theVisa InformationSystemis inaccordancewithscheduleandIcelandwillbereadytooperatethe VIS inIceland (all borders, nationalauthority, nationalsupervisorandasylumauthority) onthepossiblego-livedateinOctober (Beijing is not includedintheroll-outyet). • Visa Policycontinuestomirrorthe EU visapolicy, visafacilitationagreementsareinlinewiththose of the EU
Dataretention- update • The Data Retention Directive 2006/24/EC will soon be incorporatedintothe EEA Agreement (a formal EEA JointCommitteeDecisionincorporatingtheDirectiveintotheAgreementhas not beenissuedyet). • The transposing legislation in Iceland is the Telecommunication Act No 81/2003, which was amended in April 2005, in accordance with the COM Proposal for the Directive. No additional amendments to this legislation are foreseen when the Directive becomes a part of the EEA Agreement.