00:00Third-country nationals will soon be required to have their fingerprints scanned and their
00:11faces photographed on arrival in the European Union.
00:15The EU's Digital Border Management System, known as the Entry-Exit System, will be launched
00:22gradually from autumn onwards.
00:25With that system, Europe is actually putting in place the most technologically advanced
00:31border management system in the whole world.
00:34The new system we are putting in place is designed to work together and will also improve
00:42the effectiveness and efficiency also of border checks at external borders and helping us
00:49at the end of the day to detect and also to prevent criminal and terrorist offences.
00:58On the one hand, this electronic system will make it easier for individuals to prove that
01:03they are legally on European soil, as stamps on passports can be wrong or illegible.
01:10On the other, it could pose data protection risks, according to the European Union Agency
01:15for Fundamental Rights.
01:19And when we look at the fundamental rights being impacted, we have, of course, the most
01:24obvious one, the data protection principles, which need to be assured.
01:30But then we have much more also human dignity, the rights of the child.
01:36So for example, the Entry-Exit System, while the fingerprints only need to be taken as
01:43of the age of 12, for facial images, there's no age limit.
01:47So even babies will need to provide their facial images into the EES.
01:53The Entry-Exit System is expected to make border crossings smoother.
01:59I think the big fear that the tourism industry have about the Entry-Exit System is its implementation.
02:07When it's up and running, I think it should go fairly smoothly, but there's going to be
02:13quite a slow process obtaining everyone's fingerprints and photographs.
02:19But once that's established, I think things will go a bit more smoothly than we hope.
02:25This is just the first step.
02:26Starting late 2025 or 2026, travellers from 59 visa-exempt countries must get ETIAS authorisation
02:36prior to visiting the EU.
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