The Swedish government has proposed to make changes and adapt the current Swedish law to the European Union’s new travel information system – European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
According to the Ministry of Justice of Sweden, by doing so, the country will be able to monitor the entry and exit of people better and prevent illegal immigration to Sweden and the other member states, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The system means that all nationals of third countries who do not need a visa for short-stays into the bloc must obtain a travel permit in order to be able to cross the external borders into the Schengen area, and according to the Swedish authorities, this would help the EU better manage its borders.
Commenting on the government’s decision to modify its current law, the Minister of Migration of Sweden, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said that as soon as the system becomes fully operational, Sweden and the other EU countries will be able to prevent the entry of all those posing a security risk.
“Now the EU will have a better opportunity to prevent third-country nationals who pose a security risk, a risk of illegal immigration or a high epidemic risk from entering and staying on the territory of the member states,” the statement of Minister Stenergard reads.
The same stressed that by adapting its current law to the EU’s new information system, Sweden would also be able to gather information on those who enter its territory and strengthen internal security.
“The EU will also have better information about the people who are here. The system will be an important tool in the work to strengthen internal security and in the fight against terrorism and serious crime,” Minister Stenergard added.
Among many other things in the bill, the government has proposed an initiative to reject the entry of third-country nationals who lack a valid travel permit.
ETIAS is an electronic system that allows keeping track of people from countries who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area.
The legal procedures to pass the ETIAS began in 2016, and the system is expected to be fully operational in 2024.
The system was planned to become operational by the end of this year. However, just recently, the EU confirmed that the system had been postponed to 2024. The EU Commission’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Migration, and Internal Security, Anitta Hipper, said for SchengenVisaInfo.com that since the ETIAS is being closely developed with EES, it cannot become effective before the EES launches first.
The same noted that the exact date for the ETIAS go-live would be communicated as soon as it is available.