Brussels, 25/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a communication on “smart borders” adopted on 25 October, the European Commission set out the main options for using new technologies to monitor external borders and control journeys into Europe made by third country nationals.
Two weeks after launching its visa system (VIS) based on biometric technologies and digital fingerprinting, the Commission is proposing the launch of new mechanisms, to be put in place at borders, which monitor the length of time travellers spend in the EU. Alerts would be issued when the visa expires but the person concerned is still in the EU. This possibility is not included in VIS.
The Commission communication will lead to legislative proposals in 2012. It is putting forward the idea of an EES - entry/exit system, as well as a Registered Travellers Programme (RTP). The Commission explains in a press release that the first option would record the time and place of entry and the length of authorised short stays in an electronic database, replacing the current system of stamping passports. This data would then be made available to border control and immigration authorities. The Commission explains that the second programme “would allow certain groups of frequent travellers (i.e. business travellers, family members etc) from third countries to enter the EU, subject to appropriate pre-screening, using simplified border checks at automated gates”. The Commission explains that this would speed up border crossings for 4-5 million travellers per year and encourage investments in modern automated border controls. Several member states have already experimented with this idea or have put in place these procedures but only for European nationals.
In its document, the Commission calls on member states to think about what form these two new systems should assume: it is therefore asking them whether the EES should also use biometric data or not, although the Commission considers that using this data would help to better monitor travellers who do not require visas for entering the EU. With regard to the RTP, the question involves establishing whether the EU should have access to a centralised or decentralised database.
In its communication, the Commission also discusses the cost of these two systems for member states, depending on what options are chosen: for the EES, for example, the estimated costs over three years could reach €200 million. Most of these costs would be used for setting up the necessary infrastructure in member states. For the RTP, the Commission explains that the estimates are identical.
This communication will now need to be examined by the Council, the EP and the European data supervisor, before the Commission presents concrete proposals in 2012.
Every year more than 700 million EU citizens and third country nationals cross the EU's external borders. This number is expected to rise significantly in the future, explains the Commission. It also explains that “it is in the interest of the EU to make it as easy as possible for tourists and business travellers to come to Europe”, whilst consolidating border security. (SP/transl.fl)