EU Confirms ETIAS Has Been Postponed to 2024, Says an Exact Date Isn’t Available Yet

The European Union has announced that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has been delayed until 2024, as previously reported by etiasvisatoeu.com.

According to Anitta Hipper, the EU Commission’s Spokesman for Home Affairs, Migration, and Internal Security, the precise date for the ETIAS go-live will be informed as soon as it is known.

Ms Hipper explained to SchengenVisaInfo.com why the ETIAS has been delayed, saying that because the ETIAS is being created in tandem with the Entry/Exit System (EES), it cannot become operational before the EES.

“The current projected completion date for ETIAS is 2024. “The ETIAS may only go into operation five to six months after the EES goes into operation,” she remarked.

She also stated that the timing for the complete implementation of EES will be reviewed and debated at the EU Lisa Management Board and then the JHA Council scheduled for June, and it is also on the agenda and will be considered at the forthcoming Schengen Council on March 9.

“As soon as the specific date for the ETIAS go-live is available,” she stated.

Last Friday, it was announced that the EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs website has changed the ETIAS start date to 2024. The earlier launch date was set for November 20, 2023.

While the EES launch date, which was previously set for May 2023, has also been pushed back after the eu-LISA, the body in charge of administering large EU IT systems such as the EES and ETIAS, declared that May 2023 was no longer a feasible date for the EES to go live owing to contractor delays.

The EES implementation date has also not been announced, while the EU states it will happen by the end of 2023.

According to the Commission, the revised timeline for the Entry/Exit System’s operational launch is due to a number of factors, including delays in developing the system at the central level by the contractor, as well as delays in Member States preparing the necessary equipment to use the EES at border crossing points.

“eu-LISA, which handles the contract, has already implemented necessary sanctions, and the Commission has met with the Consortia on many occasions to resolve the issues,” Ms Hipper notes.

Since 2016, the EU has been attempting to modernise the EU border management system by implementing technologies such as the ETIAS and the EES, which will replace manual passport inspections with electronic checks, shorten lineups, and increase security.

The Commission states that it is collaborating closely with Member States and eu-LISA to mitigate the effect of the delays in the deployment of both systems.