Upon reading this article I was prompted to ask, of the European Parliament via their contact us
Good morning, I note with interest that you have removed Hik thermal cameras from the Eu Parliament as they were deemed unfit for purpose.Does this mean that you will now ban them from use anywhere within the EU, also demand that they be removed, as they are unfit for purpose?
This was the reply, received 4 weeks later
The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit of the European Parliament acknowledges receipt of your message of 21 May 2021 sent to Europe Direct regarding the removal of thermal cameras in use in the Parliament’s premises.
Please rest assured that your enquiry has been read attentively.
On 29 April 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it ‘recalls that Hikvision has been accused of providing surveillance equipment to internment camps’ in Xinjiang province. Therefore, it considers the use of thermal cameras provided by the company Hikvision in Parliament's premises to be ‘unacceptable’ and ‘calls on the Secretary-General to terminate the contract with Hikvision and remove all of Hikvision’s thermal cameras from Parliament’s premises’.
There is no further information given if the European Parliament intends to demand an EU-wide ban of Hikvision thermal cameras.
However, you are welcome to contact the elected Members of the European Parliament to share your observations and questions. The European Parliament website provides a complete list of all Members under this link. Furthermore, it might be helpful reaching out to the Members of the parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).
The LIBE Committee is ‘in charge of most of the legislation and democratic oversight for policies enabling the European Union to offer its citizens an area of freedom, security and justice’, including data protection and privacy in a digital age. More information on LIBE as well as contact details can be found here.
We hope that the provided information is helpful and thank you for your interest in the European Parliament.
Yours sincerely,
Citizens' Enquiries Unit
www.europarl.europa.eu/askEP/en