BRUSSELS – The Council of the European Union has officially confirmed the postponement of the ETIAS launch date to 2025.
The anticipated rollout of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is now expected to occur in spring 2025 though the exact month has not been specified.
Moreover, the Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been consistently deferred alongside ETIAS, is slated to become operational in autumn 2024.
The EU Council outlined a new roadmap for the implementation of these critical IT systems during the ongoing meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council and all ministers were briefed on the revised timeline.
A European Union official had previously confirmed the rescheduling of ETIAS to May 2025 with a caution that the date could be pushed beyond May 2025.
EU Commission Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Anitta Hipper has also confirmed that ETIAS cannot become operational without the functioning of the EES.
As far as the function is concerned, ETIAS serves as an entry requirement for visa-exempt travelers heading to any of the 30 EU member countries. Once it is made operational, citizens from over 60 countries exempt from visa requirements will need to apply for ETIAS travel authorization.
The system would be integrated in the sense that it will cross-verify applicant information with data shared in other EU systems, including the Schengen Information System (SIS), the Entry/Exit System (EES), and the Visa Information System (VIS), Schengenvisainfo reported.
On the other hand, the Entry/Exit System (EES) constitutes yet another facet of the EU’s border security apparatus. This automated IT system is designed to record the movements of travelers from non-EU countries whenever they traverse an external EU border. Its implementation has experienced a series of delays in parallel with the ETIAS; both systems are deeply linked though the Entry/Exit can function properly without the ETIAS, but it is impossible for the latter to become operational without the EES.
It bears mentioning that ETIAS is not a visa apparently and merely requires a quick online application but it contains data like biographical information, travel plans and travel history, as well as other security-related questions.
