The importance of immigration checks in the security process at European airports has received inadequate attention over recent years, according to industry experts.

Indeed, when speaking about security at UK ports and airports in March 2006, government security official Lord Carlile admitted that customs and immigration services were "spread a little thinly, and that's not entirely satisfactory". He added that "nobody could put their hand on their heart at the moment and say they feel totallyconfident that all terrorists are likely to be caught coming in from abroad".

UK transport secretary Ruth Kelly believes that the situation has improved since then. "I understand that there are more front-line border officers than ever before," she told the House of Commons in October 2007. "Their being there doing that important job is preventing thousands of illegal immigrants from entering the UK every year."

However, boosts to staffing levels aside, there is a perception that a security gap exists in the area of visa verification. A biometric trial piloted by London Gatwick and involving international technology group Motorola is aimed at addressing this gap. BioDev II uses fingerprint technology to establish the true identity of the visa holder, according to Gillian Ormiston, head of European Biometrics Identity Management & Security Solutions at Motorola.

The company is the technology provider for BioDev II trials at four other EU airports: Vienna International; Luxemburg Findel; Madrid Barajas; and Lisbon. There are no major procedural differences in the way the trial is being implemented at the five airports, Ormiston says.

The BioDev II project is being introduced at a total of eight EU countries - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and the UK - under the supervision of the European Commission (EC). Its primary objectives are to develop biometric registration solutions that are tailored for each of the eight countries; integrate them into the existing national visa-processing systems; and test their interoperability.

thinly adv. 薄薄地; 细细地; 稀疏地; 勉强地, 几乎没有

Commons n. 平民; 公共用; 下院

visa verification 签证检查

fingerprint n. 指纹

Vienna n. 维也纳

Belgium n. 比利时

Portugal n. 葡萄牙

procedural adj. 程序上的

implement v. 实现, 执行, 使生效n. 工具; 器具

supervision n. 监督; 管理

tailor v. 裁制; 使合适; 修改; 做裁缝 n. 裁缝师; 服装店

interoperability n. 共同使用性, 可以共同工作的能力; 两台不同电脑共同工作交通的能力 (计算机用语)，协同能力.
关键字:英语国际新闻
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