Since the gradual implementation of the new control system at the external borders of theEuropean Unionmore than 27,000 entry refusals have been recorded, including around 700 linked to security threats, the Commission said on Friday. European Commission according to AFP. In total, more than 52 million movements (entries and exits) have already been recorded since the deployment of the system, according to Brussels, which welcomed the rise in power of this new border surveillance tool.
Came into application in October in a progressive manner and is now fully operational, the entry-exit system (EES) marks a major development in the control of travelers at the external borders of the European area. It replaces the traditional stamp affixed to passports with an automated digital recording, integrating biometric data, identity of the traveler, as well as dates of entry and exit from the territory. Stated objective: better monitor the stays of third-country nationals and more effectively identify overstays of authorized duration, while strengthening the overall security of the European area. The system concerns non-European travelers making short-term stays, limited to 90 days over a period of 180 days in the Schengen area.
More “modern and fast”
Concretely, the system is based on a combination of online pre-registration and self-service terminals installed at border crossing points, before a final check by the border police authorities. According to the Commission, processing a traveler takes on average around 70 seconds – a delay touted as an efficiency gain compared to previous procedures.
If Brussels puts forward a system “more modern, faster and more secure”its implementation has not been without criticism. At the start of the year, the airline sector warned of the risks of slowdowns and saturation during its deployment. Now generalized to all EU external border crossing points, the system must still be closely monitored by the Member States and the Commission in order to ensure its proper functioning and harmonization, specifies the European executive.
