Nine European countries—Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland—have asked the European Commission to extend the temporary mechanism that eases the implementation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) at the external borders of the Schengen Area.
The EES requires mandatory electronic registration of non-EU citizens when crossing the border, including facial recognition and fingerprinting. According to the countries that initiated the appeal, the first months of the system’s operation revealed serious problems at a number of airports and border crossing points: lines grew longer, processing times increased, and the burden on border services rose.
The current temporary mechanism allows for the waiver of biometric data collection in exceptional cases, while still maintaining electronic registration of travelers. Nine countries believe that abandoning this measure now could lead to new disruptions in border infrastructure operations.
For Ukrainian citizens, this issue has direct practical implications, as Ukrainians are also considered travelers from non-EU countries and are subject to the EES for short-term trips to the Schengen Area.
If the European Commission agrees to extend the temporary mechanism, this could:
reduce the risk of long lines at popular border crossings and major EU airports, especially during peak travel periods; reduce the likelihood of delays for Ukrainian tourists, drivers, business travelers, and seasonal workers when crossing the border;
give EU countries more time to fine-tune the system technically without suspending its operation.
However, Ukrainians should not expect the biometric registration requirement to be lifted. The EES remains a mandatory system, and in most cases, Ukrainian citizens entering the Schengen Area will be required to have their photo taken and provide fingerprints upon their first border crossing after the system’s launch.
Experts note that the extension of the simplified regime signifies a more flexible application of the rules at problematic border crossing points rather than a change in the requirements for travelers themselves.
The EES system is part of a broader reform of the EU’s external border controls and is intended to eventually replace traditional passport stamping with electronic recording of all entries and exits by third-country nationals.
