Doc. 11185
14 February 2007

False identification

Written question No 520 to the Committee of Ministers
presented by Mr Lindblad

Due to the current situation in Iraq and the great number of Swedish citizens of Iraqi descent, Sweden is an attractive destination for Iraqis who wish to leave their own country. The number of arrivals of Iraqis who seek asylum in Sweden has increased considerably in 2006.

Another piece of news, revealed by Swedish immigration officials, alarmed that a number of passports issued by the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm have been based on false information. Many applications for official documents presented to the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm are based on false identification papers.

This is a very serious development. A passport’s authenticity is a precondition for internationally accepted verification of a person’s identity. The authenticity of documentation for applying a passport must be checked before a passport is issued. A false passport can be misused. It may be used as the basis for an asylum application and may also lead to granted citizenship. False passports can become objects of trading which can have serious consequences for our common security.

By sharing this information with the Committee of Ministers I wish to urge the Committee of Ministers to vigilance concerning passports issued on false identification and to plan for joint action to stop this development.

Signed ¹:

LINDBLAD, Göran, Sweden, EPP/CD

¹     SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group