El European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have reached a momentous agreement for the gradual implementation of the Entry-Exit System (SES) at the bloc's external borders. This innovative system will record border crossings by citizens of non-EU countries. UE for short stays, marking a significant advance in improving security, streamlining controls and reducing queues at entry and exit points.
After intense negotiations between the teams of European Parliament and the Polish Presidency of the Council, a consensus was reached on the roadmap for the implementation of the EES. Once operational, the system will capture essential data, including biometric information such as facial images and fingerprints, of third-country nationals entering and leaving the European Union. a Schengen with short-stay visas. The measure's primary objective is to strengthen EU internal security, optimize the efficiency of border control processes, and ultimately improve the experience of legitimate travelers by reducing waiting times.
The implementation of the EES will be carried out progressively over a period of 180 days. This gradual strategy seeks to mitigate the risks associated with simultaneous implementation in all Member States, avoiding potential system overloads. During this transition phase, the possibility of a temporary suspension is contemplated in the event of significant waiting times or technical complications.
The co-legislators made key adjustments to the timeline initially proposed by the European Comission. It was agreed that 10% of border crossings must be registered in the system by day 30 of implementation (instead of the original day 1), and that 35% must be registered by day 90 (as opposed to the original 50%). This new timeline aims to exponentially accelerate implementation, offsetting a slower start with faster progress in later stages.
MEPs succeeded in securing important contingency measures to address potential problems with the central implementation of the system, while strengthening coordination between central and national plans. It was also agreed that the phased implementation would remain voluntary, giving Member States the flexibility to implement the system all at once if they so prefer. A crucial achievement for MEPs was ensuring that the absence of entry records in the EES cannot be the sole justification for a decision that negatively affects a traveler.
The speaker Assita Kanko (ECR, Belgium) expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, stating: "This agreement on the Entry and Exit System represents an important step towards strengthening the security of the EU's external borders and ensure that legitimate travelers do not face unnecessary obstacles. We are working at full speed on the new law and achieving a more realistic launch schedule to get the system up and running as soon as possible. We now urge other Member States to finalize their preparations and issue declarations of readiness so that the rollout can begin firmly.
With this agreement, the European Union takes a firm step towards a more secure and efficient border management system, balancing the protection of its citizens with facilitating transit for legitimate visitors.
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