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European Union
Michael Schwarz v Stadt Bochum (C-291/12)
Judgment
Consideration of the question referred
Fundamental rights to respect for priv…
Whether such a threat exists
27

Michael Schwarz v Stadt Bochum (C-291/12)

Judgment of 17 Oct 2013law://eu/cjeu/2012/c-291-12/para_27@2026-11-10

27Fingerprints constitute personal data, as they objectively contain unique information about individuals which allows those individuals to be identified with precision (see, to that effect, in particular, European Court of Human Rights judgment in S. and Marper v. United Kingdom, §§ 68 and 84, ECHR 2008).

Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.

Key facts

Court: Court of Justice · Fourth Chamber
Case: C-291/12 · ECLI:EU:C:2013:670
Decided: 17 Oct 2013
Procedure: Preliminary reference · referred by the Verwaltungsgericht Gelsenkirchen (Germany)
Upheld as valid: Regulation 2004/2252
Applicant: Michael Schwarz
Defendant: Stadt Bochum
Rapporteur: J. Malenovský
Advocate General: P. Mengozzi
Bench: 5 judges
L. Bay Larsen, M. Safjan, J. Malenovský, U. Lõhmus, A. Prechal
Language: German
Official: CURIA · EUR-Lex 62012CJ0291

Topics

Area of freedom, security and justice Charter of Fundamental Rights Protection of personal data

History · 1 version

17 Oct 2013Reading

Connections

Interprets 1: Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 of 13 December 2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States
Cited by 7: Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland Limited and Maximillian Schrems (C-311/18); Deutsche Post AG v Hauptzollamt Köln (C-496/17); Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid v A and Others (C-70/18)2 provisions; RL v Landeshauptstadt Wiesbaden (C-61/22)5 provisions; OC v European External Action Service (T-681/20); XI v European Commission (T-528/18); W. P. Willems and Others v Burgemeester van Nuth and Others (C-446/12, C-447/12, C-448/12, C-449/12)3 provisions
Cites 8: Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (consolidated 2016)2 provisions; Directive 95/46/EC; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (consolidated 2016)3 provisions; Asociación Nacional de Establecimientos Financieros de Crédito (ASNEF) and Federación de Comercio Electrónico y Marketing Directo (FECEMD) v Administración del Estado (C-468/10, C-469/10); Volker und Markus Schecke GbR and Hartmut Eifert v Land Hessen (C-92/09, C-93/09); Deutsche Telekom AG v Bundesrepublik Deutschland (C-543/09); Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 of 13 December 2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States; Regulation (EC) No 444/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 May 2009 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2252/2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States