BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union has delayed the launch of a new biometric entry-check system for non-EU citizens, which was due to be introduced on November 10, after Germany, France and the Netherlands said border computers were not available. however ready.
“Nov. 10 is off the table,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters. He said there is no new timetable, but it is being considered whether it is possible to have a phased presentation.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) should create a digital record that links the travel document with biometric readings that confirm identity, eliminating the need to manually stamp passports at the EU’s external border.
It will require non-EU citizens arriving at the Schengen free travel zone to register their fingerprints, provide a facial scanner and answer questions about their stay.
But a spokesman for Germany’s interior ministry said the three countries, which represent 40% of affected passengers, were not ready to use the EES because “the necessary stability and functionality of the central EES system to be provided by the EU-Lisa is not yet there”.
EU-Lisa is the agency responsible for the implementation of major IT projects within the EU.
The French interior ministry said that, although France was confident of the EES’s usefulness, its introduction should be properly prepared.
The Dutch government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Paris, Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Source link