The EU Council has given the "green light" to the gradual launch of the entry/exit system to the European Union within the framework of border management, the European institution reported on Friday, writes UNN.
Today, the Council (EU) approved the EU law that will allow the gradual launch of the new digital border management system (EES) for entry/exit over six months.
EES is expected to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of controls at the EU's external borders. The new system will digitally record entries and exits, passport data, fingerprints, and facial images of non-EU citizens traveling for a short period to an EU member state.
"Thanks to this system, relevant authorities, from border guards to law enforcement agencies, will have access to data that will allow them to verify the identity of third-country nationals and information on whether they comply with the permitted period of stay in the Schengen area. As a result, EES will significantly reduce the likelihood of identity fraud and overstaying," the EU Council noted.
Key points of the new law
The new EU law provides for the following:
- new rules allow those EU member states that wish to implement EES gradually over 180 days to do so, while giving others the opportunity to start full use of the system from day one;
- EU countries must achieve full registration, including biometric data, of all persons in EES by the end of the six-month period;
- by the end of the transitional period, member states will also continue to manually stamp travel documents;
- EU member states may fully or partially suspend the use of EES at certain border crossing points under exceptional circumstances (e.g., when traffic intensity leads to very long waiting times).
Next steps
The EU Regulation enters into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. EES will gradually come into effect from a date to be determined by the European Commission.
Addition
The EES Regulation, adopted in 2017, required all member states to start full and simultaneous use of EES. To ensure a smooth launch of EES and facilitate the timely deployment of the system in all EU member states, and due to concerns that a full launch of the system could pose a risk factor for the stability of the IT system, the European Commission proposed a gradual launch.
In order to make such a gradual launch possible, a new regulation was necessary.
New EU entry rules: European Parliament approves border control system08.07.25, 16:03 • [views_2541]