European Commission proposes new system to modernize external border management

The European Commission on Wednesday presented its revised proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of an Entry-Exit System to speed-up, facilitate and reinforce border check procedures for non-EU nationals travelling to the EU.

According to a Commission press release, the proposed Entry-Exit System will register the name, type of travel document and biometrics and the date and place of entry and exit.

The proposed new system will facilitate the border crossing of bona fide travelers, detect over-stayers and identify undocumented persons in the Schengen area. The system will also record refusals of entry.

According to the European Commission, the proposed system, which will apply to all non-EU citizens who are admitted for a short stay in the Schengen area, will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports which is "time consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow the detection of over-stayers or address cases of loss or destruction of travelling documents."

The Commission added in the press release that appropriate data protection safeguards and strict access rights are foreseen in accordance with EU data protection rules.

In 2015, more than 50 million non-EU nationals visited the EU for tourism, business or educational purposes, accounting for more than 200 million border crossings at the external borders of the Schengen area.

The proposals will be transmitted to the European Parliament and Council for adoption. Endit