The Entry/Exit System (EES) entered into force on 12 October, aiming to strengthen external border controls of the EU as well as those of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
The new automated Entry/Exit System (EES) entered into force on Sunday, 12 October, with the start of digital controls at external EU borders that include digital fingerprints and biometric controls of documents.
The new system will apply to all Schengen countries, meaning all 25 members of the EU plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
The entry into force will be gradual.
In Italy, the airports of Roma Fiumicino and Milano Malpensa, and the ports of Genoa and Civitavecchia will immediately apply the new system, which will have to be implemented everywhere at the European borders by April 10, 2026.
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Reduce to a minimum the presence of irregular migrants in Europe
The EES is based on the IT monitoring of all non-EU citizens who enter the Schengen area for a brief journey, meaning between 90 and 180 days.
In compliance with privacy aspects, all biometric data of the passengers is registered -- fingerprints, facial recognition, eye iris scanning -- together with the information on the passport.
As this system has never been used before, those entering the EU will have to register for their first entry at specific automated terminals, answering four obligatory questions.
The registration will last three years. The information will be stored by the EU-LISA Agency, founded in Brussels in 2011, with its headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia. Minors up to 12 years old are exempt.
The EES arrives as part of the security crackdown that the EU Commission and its 27 Member States have applied to migration policies. The objective is to reduce to a minimum the presence of irregular migrants entering the bloc, also trying to contain the ever-increasing suspension of Schengen by the individual governments.
"We must do everything possible to impede terrorists and irregular migrants from entering illegally. It is fundamental to maintain an effective control over citizens of third countries who enter the Schengen area, to increase the security of the external borders," underscored Rasmus Stoklund, the Minister of Migration of Denmark. The country is the rotating president of the European Union at present.
Problem of possible queues for controls
Potential queues at border controls are expected during the initial phase of the launch. At the Roman airport of Fiumicino, over 200 Self-Service Kiosks have been installed for passengers to register, while over twenty are destined for the airport of Ciampino. This second Roman airport, Ciampino, will adhere to the EES right after the Leonardo da Vinci airport.
From 12 October, the new system regards only 10 percent of passengers arriving or departing from non-EU countries. However, over the next months, the flow will increase exponentially.
The EES system, approved by the EU Council last July, is only a part of the package with which Brussels wants to stem irregular migration.
On October 16, the EU Commission will present its Pact for the Mediterranean, an initiative for "peace, prosperity and stability through a genuine partnership" with countries across the Mediterranean region.
It is one of the priority objectives of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The rationale behind it is similar to the one at the base of the EES: to prevent irregular migration from North Africa, while helping the entry of regular entries.
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