European Union Aims For Stronger Borders
The European Commission has welcomed the European Parliament's adoption of the Commission's proposal - to establish an Entry/Exit registration system in order for non-EU nationals crossing the external borders of EU member states to be registered.
“It is an important step towards achieving more effective border management and better oversight of who is crossing the EU's external borders – and the Commission warmly welcomes this decision,” the statement of the Commission reads.
The initiative was backed by the European parliament on October 25.
The Parliament’s web page says that the new electronic entry/exit system will make life easier for travelers entitled to enter the EU.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will register information on non-EU nationals, such as name, travel document, fingerprints, facial image, date and place of entry and exit, and whether they are refused entry into the Schengen area. It will apply both to travelers requiring a visa and to visa-exempt travelers admitted for a short stay of 90 days, who cross the Schengen area’s external borders.
EES would make it easier to check that the authorized duration of a short stay - 90 days in any 180-day period - is adhered to.
The system will replace the manual stamping of passports and speed up border crossings, while making it easier to detect people who over-stay, and document or identity fraud.
The new system will register various data and share the information with external border check points to stop illegal entry.
The information stored in the new system will be accessible to border and visa authorities and to Europol, however, it will not be accessible for National asylum authorities.
The proposal for an entry-exit system (EES) is part of the smart borders package presented by the Commission in April 2016. EES is expected to be operational in 2020.
The Entry/Exit System is closely linked with the European Travel Information Authorization System (ETIAS), approved on October 19 by the Civil Liberties Committee.
Under the draft, non-EU nationals who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area will have to fill in an electronic form with their personal data (including name, date and place of birth, sex and nationality), travel document information (validity, country of issue), home address and contact information, and the European country of first intended entry.
The applicant will also need to inform authorities of any convictions for serious criminal offenses (such as terrorism, sexual exploitation of children, human trafficking or drugs, murder and rape), about stays in specific conflict zones and of any prior administrative decisions requiring them to leave a country over the last ten years.
The European Parliament web page informs that travel authorization will cost 10 euros, although some travelers will be exempted from paying this fee (persons under 18 and over 60 years of age, family members of EU citizens and students and researchers travelling for academic purposes), and will be valid for three years (or until the travel document expires).
By Thea Morrison
Edited by Tamzin Whitewood
Photo source: European Parliament