Brussels, 06/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 6 April, the European Commission presented a revised proposal on 'smart borders', which is more focused and less expensive than the earlier proposals it tabled in February 2013 (see EUROPE 10796).
The revised proposal consists of an entry and exit system for third-country nationals regularly travelling within the European Union. Technically, it aims to accelerate, facilitate and reinforce verification procedures on the borders for these individuals.
The entry/exit system concerns the management of travel within Schengen authorised for a short period (a maximum of 90 days in any period of 180 days) and is based on increased automation of border crossings for these regular travellers. The use of technology will make it easier to detect document fraud and identity fraud.
The system, which will call for a targeted revision of the Schengen Borders Code, will register 26 types of personal data (e.g. name, type of travel document) and biometric elements (combination of four digital fingerprints and facial imaging), the date and place on which the external border of the EU was crossed and any refused entry into the EU. It will “make it easier for bona fide travellers to cross the borders, to detect individuals who have exceeded the maximum stay authorised and to identify persons travelling without papers in the Schengen zone” the Commission adds.
This new system will replace the current system, whereby passports are manually stamped. The usual procedure “takes time, provides no reliable data on border crossings, does not make it possible to detect people who have overstayed their maximum authorised stay and provides no response to cases of the loss or destruction of travel documents”, the Commission says.
A central database will be connected to national entry points, with the entry/exit systems and the visa information system (VIS) to become interoperable. The law enforcement authorities of the member states and Europe will also have access to the entry/exit system, subject to the observation of stringent conditions. No such provision was included in the initial proposal of 2013.
Unlike the 2013 texts, the proposal presented on Wednesday is based on a single mechanism. This aims to bring about costs well below the €1 billion initially forecast, the Commission hopes. The estimated cost of setting the new proposal in place is in the neighbourhood of €480 million.
Stronger information systems. On Wednesday, the European Commission adopted a communication on “stronger and smarter information systems for borders and security”, setting out options “on how existing and future information systems could enhance both external border management and internal security in the EU”. The document presents measures aiming to improve the functioning and interoperability of the existing information systems, such as the Schengen Information System or the EURODAC system on the digital fingerprints of asylum seekers.
Other systems will be included, such as those to be set in place for the future European border guards agency (see other article), the PNR directive on the data of airline passengers (see EUROPE 11519) and the revised proposals for an entry/exit system. A group of experts on information systems and interoperability with agencies of the EU, national experts and other institutional stakeholders was set up on the same day to launch the process. The national data protection authorities will also be consulted. One of the Commission's objectives is to ensure that the information registered at system level can be consulted easily by any other system at central level.
“There are a number of information systems at EU level that provide border guards and police officers with relevant information on persons. Existing information systems should be fully used by member states and relevant EU agencies, and the necessary technical connections to all these information systems and databases should be established where this is not yet done. It is also urgent to address persistent shortcomings in the feeding of EU databases and the exchange of information across the Union”, the Commission concludes. (Original in French by Solenn Paulic)