Walter Finch
THE arrival of the EU’s new Entry Exit System (EES) is inching closer with the announcement of a six-month phased roll out.
It is part of new regulations designed to unblock the long-awaited digital border control that is set to be imposed on the border with Gibraltar – if a deal is not reached beforehand.
The new rules allow for Spain to suspend the EES at the Gibraltar border in the event that ‘the waiting time at a border crossing point becomes excessive’ under the new rules.
However, these pauses will only be for a maximum of six hours at a time before biometric scanning must resume.
Plans for a simultaneous EES launch across the whole of the EU on November 10 were put to one side when it became clear some member states were not ready.
The European Commission has now announced a six month progressive roll-out instead, although the start date is still unknown as it depends on each state announcing they are ready to begin.
Once the phased roll-out begins, all countries will have six months to fully implement.
By the end of the third month, Spain and other countries will be obliged to operate the EES at 50% of its border entry points, including the crucial border with Gibraltar.
By the fifth month, biometric scanners must be in use at every entry point, and by the sixth, all non-Eu travellers – including Brits and Gibraltarians – must be registered when entering Spain.
The EES will register entries, exits, and refusals of entry for Brits, Gibraltarians and non-EU nationals crossing into Spain, and it will collect biometric data like facial images and fingerprints.
EU countries will get access to a database of all travellers entering the Schengen zone, including their personal data, travel history and information on whether they overstay their permission.
The system is intended to ‘significantly reduce the likelihood of identity fraud and long-stay fraud, ultimately strengthening the security of the Schengen area.’
