EU delays introduction of prior travel authorization system?

The implementation of a new online system for prior approval of entry into the European Union (EU) has apparently been delayed until next year, after the chaotic introduction of a separate electronic system for border checks disrupted travel to the Union, writes the Financial Times (FT).

Through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), travelers who do not require a visa to enter the EU, including citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States, will have to register. ETIAS is modeled after the American ESTA system. Applicants will pay a fee of 20 euros and undergo security checks before traveling.

The talks to delay the ETIAS system follow technical problems and a slow rollout of the new Electronic Entry/Exit System (EES), which requires non-EU travelers to have their fingerprints and facial images scanned at borders. The problems have led to long lines at some airports and land border crossings, and warnings from the aviation industry that a chaotic summer is ahead.

EU-LISA, the agency responsible for implementing the ETIAS system, has admitted that its launch by the end of this year, as planned, is no longer feasible, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The EU-Lisa agency's management board met in mid-June to discuss postponing the system's implementation to a later date, the sources said. Two of them said the board would meet again in September to consider a new timeframe.

A spokesperson for the agency confirmed that the board of directors discussed the "start of operations" of the ETIAS system on June 17, but added that "there has been no further progress on this issue since then."

The European Commission is responsible for setting the date for the start of the system's application, which it can only do after EU-LISA has successfully completed the testing of the ETIAS system.

A person familiar with the discussions said there were still "certain problems with the ETIAS information system."

"Let's fix the EES first, and only then introduce another system that will double the queues again," said the person.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner sent a letter to aviation industry leaders blaming national governments for problems with the entry and exit system.

"Other factors, unrelated to the EES, such as insufficient staffing or inadequate infrastructure, could be the cause of the delay," Bruner said in a letter seen by the FT.

The EES system was originally scheduled to become operational in 2022, but its introduction has been repeatedly delayed due to procurement issues, technical difficulties, and slow rollout in some member states.

"Preparations for the introduction of the ETIAS system are continuing. Of course, as with any large information system, many factors influence the decision on when it will be launched," said a European Commission spokesperson.

Several EU officials said they were not surprised that EU-LISA, which manages the EES and a number of other border systems, in addition to ETIAS, was struggling to meet the deadline. One official said the delay was unlikely to be long.

"If they can't get it in place, they'll say they need another quarter or another month," he said.

However, another person familiar with the matter said that launching the system this year was illusory, the FT reports.