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Facial recognition admission control at EU Summit

NEC and its Romanian branch office, part of NEC Eastern Europe, announced the provision of a facial recognition system for admission control at the EU Summit held in Sibiu, Romania in May, 2019.

From January to June 2019, Romania held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for the first time, during which time the country was dedicated to strengthening security measures at important domestic events. Leading up to the informal European Union summit held on 9 May 2019 in the city of Sibiu, Romania, NEC was selected by the Romanian Protection and Guard Service to provide NeoFace, NEC’s facial recognition engine, after intensive testing of various security solutions available on the market. The Protection and Guard Service is a government agency responsible for providing protection for Romanian dignitaries and international representatives during their stay in Romania.

During the summit, NEC’s facial recognition system was used to check a pre-registered list of facial images of senior officials against live streams from cameras installed at four gates in the venue. All participants in the programme provided informed consent for the use of their images. This was part of a two-step authentication that consisted of facial recognition and the use of QR codes printed on guest invitations, resulting in high-speed access to the meeting location, without long lines or burdensome security.

This was the first time that biometric certification was used as a security measure at an EU Summit, and participating high-level officials were authorised with high accuracy and speed, thereby contributing to a safe, secure and smooth conference.

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