EU agrees on digital borders with new Entry/Exit system
Interior ministers of European Union countries reached an agreement in Brussels on the gradual implementation of the new digital border management system, the Entry/Exit System (EES). The regulation could come into effect as early as October.
The head of the Ministry of the Interior, Tomasz Siemoniak, chaired the meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels on Wednesday due to Poland's presidency in the EU Council. Before the meeting started, Siemoniak assured that Poland is keen to "strongly push these discussions forward so that this regulation could be adopted in the fall."
The EU will introduce a new system
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an IT system that will digitally record entry, exit, or refusal of entry, as well as passport data, fingerprints, and facial images (photos) of citizens from third countries crossing the external borders of the European Union for short-term stays, i.e., 90 days in any 180 days.
Member state heads have agreed they will implement the EES as part of the regulation's gradual rollout. EU countries will also aim to register at least 10% of border crossings in the first month. During the first two months (60 days), countries will use the EES without biometric features, meaning they will not collect fingerprints or take photos of arriving or departing individuals.
After three months, the system's functions are expected to be fully utilized at least at half of the EU border crossings. Countries should register all crossings fully by the end of the gradual implementation period of the EES. Before fully achieving this goal, member states will continue to stamp travel documents manually.
This approach allows member states flexibility—some can implement the regulations immediately, while others can do so gradually. Siemoniak called this decision "a significant progression in the field of EU border control and protection."
"The adopted solution is flexible on one hand and guarantees the security of migration movements on the other," he evaluated.
New EES system
The EU Council, which brings together member states, stated that collecting biometric data from individuals crossing EU external borders will ensure real-time access to personal data of third-country nationals, their travel history, and information on whether they comply with the permitted stay period in the Schengen area.
"As a result, the EES will significantly reduce the probability of identity fraud and excessive extensions of stay, reinforcing the security of the Schengen area," the ministers emphasized.
The date for the system's gradual implementation is not yet known, as the European Commission must approve it after the legislation comes into effect. According to Siemoniak, this should happen in October.
