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1. A system known as ‘Eurodac’ is hereby established. Its purpose is to:

(a) support the asylum system, including by assisting in determining which Member State is to be responsible pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 for examining an application for international protection registered in a Member State by a third-country national or a stateless person and by facilitating the application of that Regulation under the conditions set out in this Regulation;

(b) assist with the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1350 under the conditions set out in this Regulation;

(c) assist with the control of irregular immigration to the Union, with the detection of secondary movements within the Union and with the identification of illegally staying third-country nationals and stateless persons for the purpose of determining the appropriate measures to be taken by Member States;

(d) assist with the protection of children, including in the context of law enforcement;

(e) lay down the conditions under which Member States’ designated authorities and the Europol designated authority may request the comparison of biometric or alphanumeric data with those stored in Eurodac for law enforcement purposes for the prevention, detection or investigation of terrorist offences or of other serious criminal offences;

(f) assist in the correct identification of persons registered in Eurodac in accordance with Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2019/818 by storing identity data, travel document data and biometric data in the common identity repository (CIR);

(g) support the objectives of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) established by Regulation (EU) 2018/1240;

(h) support the objectives of the Visa Information System (VIS) referred to in Regulation (EC) No 767/2008;

(i) support evidence-based policy making through the production of statistics;

(j) assist with the implementation of Directive 2001/55/EC.

2. Without prejudice to the processing of data intended for Eurodac by the Member State of origin in databases set up under that Member State’s national law, biometric data and other personal data may be processed in Eurodac only for the purposes set out in this Regulation, in Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EU) 2018/1240, (EU) 2019/818, (EU) 2024/1351 and (EU) 2024/1350 and in Directive 2001/55/EC. This Regulation fully respects human dignity and fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’), including the right to respect for private life, the right to the protection of personal data, the right to asylum and the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. In that respect, the processing of personal data in accordance with this Regulation shall not result in any discrimination against persons covered by this Regulation based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation. A person’s right to privacy and to data protection shall be safeguarded in accordance with this Regulation, both with regard to access by the Member States’ authorities and by the Union’s authorised agencies to Eurodac.