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Europe to miss E-passport deadline

Alorie Gilbert Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Alorie Gilbert
writes about software, spy chips and the high-tech workplace.
Alorie Gilbert
The European Union says it needs more time to begin issuing new high-tech passports that incoporate biometric data via embedded microchips.

The United States has urged 25 visa-exempt countries in Europe to begin issuing the new passports by October in a push for tighter border security. But the EU says it needs an addtional 10 months to comply, according to an Associated Press report.

Many countries are still ironing out problems related to data security and interoperability, an EU official said. Meanwhile, the U.S. is on track to begin issuing e-passports this year.