BRUSSELS (CHATNEWSTV) — The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement Monday to allow for a gradual, six-month rollout of the Entry/Exit System (EES), a major upgrade to the EU’s digital border management.
The phased introduction will enable member states to begin using the system, which records biometric and travel data of non-EU nationals entering or exiting the Schengen area, while allowing additional time for border authorities and transport operators to adapt.
“Thanks to this agreement, member states will be able to deploy the new border management system for registering the entry and exit into the Schengen area of non-EU nationals,” said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s Minister of the Interior and Administration, in a statement. “This is good news and will support our efforts to keep our borders safe.”
The EES will collect personal information including fingerprints and facial images, along with passport data and travel history. The system is intended to enhance security by curbing identity fraud and detecting overstays. EU authorities will have real-time access to the data, improving their ability to monitor border movements.
Under the agreement, member states will begin registering at least 10% of border crossings using the EES after the first month. For the first 60 days, they may operate the system without biometric functionality. By the third month, 35% of border checkpoints are expected to be equipped with biometric capabilities, with full registration required by the end of the six-month transition period.
During this time, border officials will continue manually stamping travel documents.
The regulation also allows countries to suspend use of the EES at specific border crossings in exceptional circumstances such as high traffic congestion. After the transition period, limited suspensions of up to six hours will still be permitted.
The start date for the EES rollout will be determined separately by the European Commission.
The provisional agreement must still be formally approved by both the Council and the European Parliament.
The EES was originally planned to launch at the end of 2024. However, delays and technical concerns prompted the European Commission to propose a staged deployment requiring new legislative approval.
