Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/221 of 1 February 2023 laying down and developing the universal message format (UMF) standard pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/818 of the European Parliament and of the Council

For the purposes of this Decision, (1) ‘information system’ means a central or national data processing systems and any of the following interoperability components: the European search portal (ESP), the common identity repository (CIR) and the multiple-identity detector (MID).

1 The universal message format (UMF) standard for cross-border information exchange between authorities or organisations in the field of Justice and Home Affairs shall be as set out in Annex I.

2 The UMF standard shall be used, if appropriate, in the development by the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) or by any other Union agency for new information exchange models and information systems in the area of Justice and Home Affairs.

3 The elements set out in Annex II, derived from the universal message format (UMF) standard, shall be used in the development of the Eurodac, the European Criminal Records Information System for third-country nationals (ECRIS-TCN), and the following interoperability components: the ESP, the CIR and the MID.

1 The UMF standard may be used for information exchange between information systems, authorities or organisations in the field of Justice and Home Affairs.

2 The UMF standard shall be used to describe information exchanged between information systems in the field of Justice and Home Affairs without prejudice to the specific provisions related to the interoperability components laid down in Articles 4 and 5.

3 The UMF standard shall not be mandatory for the description of data elements stored in an information system or database.

The UMF standard shall be used to describe and label the identity, travel document and biometric data queried and received via the ESP.

The UMF standard shall be used to describe and label the identity, travel document and biometric data used for the information exchanged with the CIR and the MID referred to in Articles 20 and 22 of Regulation (EU) 2019/818.

This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.