BioTesting Europe, European Infrastructure for Biometric Testing Launched

An EU-funded project, BioTesting Europe, has begun work on setting up a European infrastructure for the testing and certification of biometrics components and systems. Biometric recognition systems measure the behavioural or physical traits of people. The initiative will work to define standards and a roadmap for biometric programs across Europe.

I am very impressed by one thing, how the European bureaucrats are always on the lookout for things that the national authorities might be doing which might not be "European". Every country has its own way of having biometric identification frameworks and usage. In almost all cases, even inside a country, you will find different standards and usage.

For example, the United Kingdom has started inviting contractors to commence work for the National ID project. Are these guys going to work with the benefits agency? Or the NHS card system? Or the passport agency? It is early days yet, but one would have thought that some standards on biometrics would have been pushed through. Remember how EU got a leg up on 2G mobile networks by pushing for the GSM standard? and the USA then ended up on the back foot because of no standards. Mind you, then the EU tried to do the same for 3G and 2.5G and ended up in the most unholy mess imaginable. But aiming for standards of interoperability is good. So it seems for this story as well. The EU is launching a project to get standards for biometric identification interoperability.

What I find very curious is that there is no mention of any financial institution cooperation/collaboration. Money is what makes the world go around and if there is one thing which should be interoperable, it is the financial transaction framework. Its not like that the EU is not already working on this. For example, the EU is working on the SEPA, the Single European Payments Area, working on TARGET II, on having a common depository, imposing standards and and and (and, yes, up to and including specs on credit cards, etc.). So when we are talking about two such huge operations going on, has anybody ever thought of linking these two up? Or at least talking to each other? I haven't heard of anything and my admittedly limited googling and emailing didn't produce any responses.

If Europe can come up with, say, a credit card or financial instrument biometric identification which is in sync with or interoperable with the national security identifier project, then it will single-handedly give a leg up to the next but one generation of technology, manufacturing and service firms. It can be done, but I wonder if anybody is listening?

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!