Security at Maltese embassies is being strengthened through a €2.4 million project that should be completed by the end of the year.

The project, co-financed by the European Union and the government, should see the use of the latest fingerprint technology and increased efficiency. The focus would be on having a user-friendly system for visa applicants, the Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said.

He was speaking at the official inauguration of the Central Visa Unit for Effective Immigration Control in Floriana.

In line with the regulations of the Schengen Treaty, the project should pave the way for the introduction of a centralised European visa system in 2010.

Visas would have to be biometric by 2010, following the introduction of biometric passports in October, Dr Borg said. Three consulates in Turkey, Tel Aviv and Ramallah were being opened and where no diplomatic representation existed, visa issuance was being facilitated through other countries, he added.

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