EES will also reduce queues at airports
The European Commission has decided to delay the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES), the bloc’s automated registry for short-stay travellers that was expected to come into force on November 10. The EU’s Entry/Exit System is a comprehensive reform to modernise checks at the EU’s external borders and promote information-sharing.
The latest delay in implementation of the EES was announced by Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs, at the end of a meeting of EU interior ministers where the issue was discussed.
“November 10 is no longer on the table. I hope we can start as soon as possible but there’s no new timeline so far. This also depends on the legal assessment that we will do and we’re working on it right now,” Johansson told reporters, noting that Germany, France and the Netherlands had declared their unreadiness. Without providing many details, Johannson also referred to ‘some concerns when it comes to the resilience of the system’.
As an alternative, she said, the EU could introduce the EES in a phased-in manner ‘with a little step by step going into the system, not a Big Bang of all border crossing points at the same time’. However, that approach is not foreseen under the current regulation and ‘targeted amendments’ to the legal text would be required to make it happen.
The EES is a comprehensive reform of the EU’s border checks systems and it was initiated as a project in 2016 that has been repeatedly delayed. Its main purpose is to modernise checks at the EU’s external borders and replace the traditional physical stamping of passports.
It will apply to non-EU citizens who come to the bloc for visits, holidays or business trips and stay for a total duration of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Once the system goes live, visitors will have to provide their passports on arrival, alongside having a photo of their face taken and their fingerprints scanned electronically.
All entries and exits from the passport-free Schengen Area will be recorded. The collection of biometric data and the sharing of information in real time are meant to help authorities crack down on those who overstay their short-term visas and commit identity fraud.
All EU member states, except Cyprus and Ireland, and four Schengen-associate countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – will take part in the scheme. Passports in Cyprus and Ireland will continue to be stamped manually.
Earlier this year, train operator Eurostar unveiled plans to deploy more self-use kiosks, e-gates and staff resources at St Pancras International Station in London to help ensure a smooth transition to the EES. And in August the UK Government pledged a funding of GBP 10.5 million to the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, to enable them to install the necessary technology for required checks.
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