(ANSA) - BRUXELLES - The Commission today addressed a letter of formal notice to Bulgaria for not having established a Single Point of Contact as to ensure the mandatory exchange of information. By not implementing this part of the EU document security legislation, "Bulgaria prevents other Member States from securely accessing and verifying the fingerprints stored on the chips in Bulgarian passports", the Commission says.

The establishment of such contact points is mandatory. They allow for the exchange of information necessary to access the fingerprint images stored on e-passports and e-residence permits for third country nationals. In Bulgaria, all Single Points of Contact should have been operational by 20 May 2012. If Sofia's government does not act within the next two months, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion, the next stage in the infringement procedure. (ANSA).