Fingerprints and biometric recognition: EU members approve border clampdown

Brussels – European Union countries adopted today (March 5) their position on the regulation for the gradual launch of the Entry/Exit System (EES). This EU external border digital management system will record the entries and exits, passport data, fingerprints, and facial images of non-EU citizens traveling for short stays in EU territory. “A flexible solution” and one that “ensures the security of migration movements” assures the Polish presidency of the EU Council.

The IT system’s launch, postponed several times since 2017, was set for the end of 2024, fully and simultaneously in all member countries. As the deadline approached, the Commission proposed to the co-legislators – the Council of the EU and the European Parliament – to adopt a phased rollout. In essence, the EES will replace the manual stamping of passports, registering all travelers — visa-free or visa-required — who enter Europe for a short stay.

The interior ministers of the 27 approved a series of implementation milestones that will be prepared in detail by the EU Agency for the Operational Management of Information Systems (EU-LISA): they will progressively start using EES up to a minimum registration of 10 percent of border crossings after the first month. For the first 60 days, National Border Authorities will not have to use biometric capabilities. Three months after the system’s launch, at least half of the border crossing should record fingerprint and facial recognition. Until the end of the transition period, member states will continue to stamp travel documents manually.

The regulation does not set a date for the start of the gradual implementation of the system, which a separate decision of the European Commission will indicate once the law comes into force. The Polish Interior Minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, stressed that the approach adopted by the Council allows for gradual implementation but, at the same time, does not prevent member states from using the EES system in full from day one. Through the systematic collection of biometric data of non-EU citizens, the goal is to ensure that EU countries have real-time access to the personal data of those crossing European borders, travel history, and information on their compliance with the period of authorized stay in the Schengen area.

The position EU ministers adopted today is the basis for inter-institutional negotiations with the European Parliament, which has not yet defined its position and will determine the final form of the regulation.