The European Parliament has adopted the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, which aims to strengthen border security.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will carry out pre-travel security screenings and risk assessments of people who are allowed to cross into the Schengen Area without presenting a visa, either because they are travelling from EU partner countries or for other reasons.
ETIAS authorisation will be mandatory for travellers who do not require a visa once the system enters into force, and must be presented alongside valid travel documents when crossing into a Schengen Area member state.
How will the new system strengthen border security?
To ensure that comprehensive checks can be quickly and thoroughly undertaken, ETIAS will be linked to a number of other EU information systems for border and migration security, and if concerns are raised, applications will be manually reviewed. However, EU authorities expect that automatic approvals will be issued in 95% of cases.
The proposals now need to be approved by the European Council, and signed into law. This final step is expected soon, with ETIAS due to be connected to existing systems (which will also be upgraded and made fully interoperable) and in full operation before the end of 2021.
How did the European Commission react?
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos welcomed the opportunity that the proposals would offer to improve the safety of European citizens and increase the role that innovative technologies can play in border management and security.
“At the beginning of this commission we committed to deliver a Europe that protects – and today, we take one more, important step towards this goal… The new ETIAS will ensure that we no longer have an information gap on visa-free travellers. Anyone who poses a migratory or security risk will be identified before they even travel to EU borders, while the travel of bona fide travellers will be facilitated.”
