Roberta Metsola’s border security law voted through with huge majority

The Metsola Report which establishes an EU law to create a new European “False and Authentic Documents Online System (‘FADO’)” was today approved by the European Parliament plenary with a huge cross-Party majority, clearing the final hurdle to becoming part of European law.

The final vote took place today following months of negotiations, led by Roberta Metsola, between the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and all the political groups in the European Parliament.

MEP Roberta Metsola, the Parliament’s Rapporteur on this new law, said: “Our citizens have a right to security. The new FADO system we devised, supports EU Member States in the rapid sharing of images of genuine, false and forged documents, which is essential to fighting criminality.

The fraudulent use of documents across Europe has significantly increased in the last years and it is essential that we tackle it. The methods used by criminals are changing and we need to remain one-step ahead.

This law is especially important for States like Malta. It will ensure the better protection of the Union’s external borders, safeguard the free movement of people in Schengen and facilitate the movement of people across borders who carry valid travel, identity and residence documents. It will help our authorities detect false documents and give them the tools they need, and they are asking for, to do their job.

Crucially, it will also protect the rights of any people whose identities are being used by criminal networks - even without their knowledge.

The law finalises the reform of the European Border and Coast Guard. Roberta Metsola was also Parliament’s Rapporteur on this law which paves the way for the engagement of 10,000 new border and coast guards, who will have the power to fight cross-border crime and deal with individuals who are not eligible to enter the EU’s borders.”