The European Commission is to propose measures to keep track of travellers entering or leaving the Schengen area of borderless travel. In a discussion paper adopted on Tuesday (25 October), the Commission outlined plans for an entry/exit system and a registered travellers' programme, aimed at making it easier to track where and when citizens from countries outside the EU enter or leave the Schengen area.
“The Union must continue to modernise the management of its external borders and ensure that the Schengen area is better equipped to cope with future challenges,” said Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for home affairs.
She said that the scheme – dubbed ‘smart borders' – would speed up the passage of travellers and make it easier to protect the Schengen area's external borders against unauthorised entry.
Unlike the Visa Information System, which applies only to people who require a visa, the entry/exit system would keep a record of all non-EU citizens entering and leaving the Union. It would allow the authorities to keep track of how much time visitors spend in the Schengen area and make it easier to identify people who overstay.
Automatic processing at entry and exit points would replace the current system, which relies on stamps in passports.
Consultation
Rather than immediately proposing legislation, the Commission has launched consultations with MEPs and the member states on the two main elements of its smart-borders proposal. It says that the technological implications, data protection implications and costs should be considered before legislation is proposed.
In June, EU interior ministers asked the Commission to speed up work on smart borders and propose legislation by the spring.
The scheme is part of efforts by the Commission to strengthen the Schengen area following a temporary spike in arrivals from north Africa earlier this year.
