The European Union authorities have confirmed that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has indeed been postponed to 2024, as previously reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com.
According to Anitta Hipper, the EU Commission’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Migration and Internal Security, while the exact date for the ETIAS go-live is not yet available, it will, however be communicated as soon as it is available.
Presenting the reasons why the ETIAS has been postponed, Ms Hipper told to SchengenVisaInfo.com that since the ETIAS is being developed closely with the Entry/Exit System (EES), this also means that it cannot become effective before the EES launches first.
“The current expected date for ETIAS to be fully operational is 2024. The entry into operation of ETIAS can only take place five to six months after the entry into operation of the EES,” she noted.
Further she also revealed that timeline for the full entry into operation of EES will be revised accordingly and discussed at the Management Board of EU Lisa and then the JHA Council set to be held in June, and it is also on the agenda and will be discussed in the upcoming Schengen Council on March 9.
“The exact date for the ETIAS go-live will be communicated as soon as it is available,” she said.
Last Friday, it was reported that the ETIAS launch date had been updated on the website of the EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs to 2024. The previous launch date was November 2023.
Whereas the date of the EES launch, which previously was May 2023, has also been postponed, after the eu-LISA, the agency responsible for the managing of big EU IT systems like the EES and ETIAS, had revealed that May 2023 was no longer a realistic date for the EES becoming effective due to delays by contractors.
The date when the EES rolls out has not been made known either, though the EU says it will happen by the end of 2023.
The Commission has told SchengenVisaInfo.com that the revised timeline for the entry into operation of the Entry/Exit System is linked to several factors, which include delays in developing the system at central level by the contractor, but also in the Member States when it comes to delays in the preparation for the necessary equipment to use the EES at the border crossing points.
“eu-LISA, which manages the contract, has already activated relevant penalties and the Commission has repeatedly met with the Consortia to address the concerns,” Ms Hipper points out.
Since 2016, the EU has been working to modernise the EU border management system through systems like the ETIAS and the EES, which will replace manual passport controls with electronic checks, speed up queues and improve security.
The Commission claims it is working very closely with Member States and eu-LISA to minimise the impact of the delays for the launch of both systems.
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