The deal paves the way for a gradual start of the digital border system.
European Union countries agreed on Wednesday to finally bring into force the Entry/Exit System (EES), the bloc’s automated registry for short-stay travellers that has been repeatedly delayed over technical problems and lack of preparedness.
The agreement, reached by interior ministers in Brussels, paves the way for a likely start of operations in autumn, although no fixed date has been set.
Member states will now have two options: to launch the new system all at once or to launch it in several phases across a six-month transition period. At the end of the transition period, all registrations at border crossing should be done under the EES.
The phased-in approach was not foreseen in the original legislation. However, after an inclusive meeting in November, it was put forward as a viable alternative to break the protracted deadlock and implement the long-awaited system.
Poland, the country currently holding the EU Council’s rotating presidency, will lead the negotiations with the European Parliament for a final agreement on the amended law, which is expected to happen smoothly.
“October is our horizon,” Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister for internal affairs and administration, said on Wednesday morning.
The system “will provide member states’ services with entirely new tools to control who enters and exits the Schengen Area, for the police and border guards. This is an absolutely essential matter.”
What is the Entry/Exit System?
The EES is a comprehensive reform that dates back to 2016 and 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 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.
