Theinput/output (I/O) which is supposed to revolutionize border control, could once again miss its rendezvous with history. Scheduled for November 10, 2024its launch seems compromised by the lack of preparation on the part of 3 European heavyweights.
When the big boys put up a fight
Who would have thought it? France 🇫🇷, Germany 🇩🇪 and the Netherlands 🇳🇱, pillars of the Union, are sounding the alarm. In a letter addressed to Ylva JohanssonEuropean Commissioner for Home Affairs, these three nations are expressing doubts about their ability to be ready in time.
A blow for Brussels, which sees its flagship project of border management falter once more.
A soap opera with twists and turns
The history of EES is looking more and more like a thriller series. Judge for yourself:
| Episode | Scheduled date | Bounce |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Summer 2023 | Postponed to October 6, 2024 |
| Season 2 | October 6, 2024 | Further postponement to November 10, 2024 |
| Season 3 | November 10, 2024 | Waiting... |
Every time, there's a good excuse: the Rugby World Cupthe Olympic GamesBut this time, it's technology that seems to be getting the better of European ambitions.
What is EES?
By the way, what is this famous EES that is so much in the news? Imagine a supercomputer capable of scanning, recording and analyzing the data of every non-European traveler entering the Schengen area. Fingerprints, facial image, date of entry and exit... you name it!
The objective? Say goodbye to old-fashioned stamps in passports and hello to ultra-modern management of migratory flows. No more surreptitious overstays, no more false identities. At least, that's the promise.
The technical headache
But moving from theory to practice is proving more complicated than expected. Every border crossing must be equipped with state-of-the-art biometric kiosks. And that's not all: these machines have to communicate perfectly with a central database, all in an ultra-secure environment.
Add to this the need to train thousands of border guards in the new system, and you can see why even the most developed EU countries are struggling to keep pace.
Travelers on the edge of their seats
Meanwhile, the 700 million annual travellers to the EU remain in limbo.
EES promises faster, more effective controls, but when will they be available? For the moment, that's the big question mark.
ETIAS: the other big project that's shaking things up
The EES delay is not without consequences. It threatens to derail other European security and border management initiatives.
L'ETIAS, a kind of electronic visa for visa-exempt travellerswas to follow in the footsteps of EES. Planned for 2025, this system could well see its launch postponed if its big brother EES does not see the light of day.
The EU has great ambitions when it comes to interconnecting its information systems. A European search portal, a biometric matching service, a common directory of identity data... All these projects depend in part on the smooth running of the EES.
The ball is in the European Commission's court. Stay the course for November 10, 2024, or grant yet another extension? The next few weeks promise to be decisive.
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