The launch of the European Union’s new automated border system is now set for 6 October 2024, according to reports in the The Independent, with potential knock-on implications for sister system ETIAS.
Entry/Exit System
The Entry/Exit System (EES) will use biometrics to register and track arrivals and departures from third-countries, both short-stay visa holders and visa exempt travellers, each time they cross an EU external border. The system will register the person’s name, travel document type, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit, in full respect of fundamental rights and data protection. It will also record refusals of entry.
Replacing the current manual stamping of passports, which is time consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not detect travellers who exceed their authorised stay, the EU has said the main advantage of EES roll-out is saving time, making trips to European countries “more efficient for the traveller”. It will however require that passengers register their biometric data.
Ongoing delays
The setup of EES is being overseen by eu-LISA, Europe’s agency for large-scale IT systems concerning freedom, security and justice. Originally set for implementation by the end of September 2022, there have been numerous delays to it coming online amid problems integrating international databases and finding the space for necessary infrastructure – including space for physical checks and on-site biometric registration at hard borders, such as ports and airports.
France is also said to have requested a postponement until after the heavy traffic of the Olympics.
What about ETIAS?
Now that the introduction of the system has been set for October 2024, speculation will begin around the introduction of the sister system ETIAS.
Under ETIAS, which is dependent on EES being in place, visitors from outside the EU who currently have visa-waiver status, will have to apply for authorisation to visit any of the 26 EU Member States as well as the additional 4 European countries that are part of the Schengen Area, but not EU members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). The permission to visit will then remain valid for three years or until the travel documents used in the registration expire.
Anitta Hipper, the European Commission’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Migration and Internal Security, has previously confirmed that the “entry into operation of ETIAS can only take place five to six months after the entry into operation of the EES.” If that estimate remains correct, ETIAS may just arrive “on time” (according to the most recent estimate) by May 2025.
