• Ensuring Europe’s security is undoubtedly a top priority for the European Union.
  • A number of different EU databases work to improve security for EU citizens and visitors.

08-11-2022

With the rise in tourism and migration in recent years, it has become clear that an additional layer of screening for all people entering Europe’s borders is required.

EU nationals will be relieved to learn that all individuals who do not require a visa to enter the Schengen Area (now 60 nations) must now disclose their details for screening and apply for a travel permit ahead of time.

With this in mind, the European Union Council established the European Travel Information Authorization System (ETIAS visa waiver). The ETIAS is an automated information technology system that will assist in identifying and assessing any hazards connected with visa-exempt citizens travelling to and within the Schengen Area prior to their departure.

The ETIAS visa waiver for Europe will help identify individuals who may jeopardise security or constitute an irregular migration risk before they board an airline or ship bound for the European Union.

By requiring all visa-exempt tourists to apply for a travel permit through the ETIAS online application system, Member States’ border control and law enforcement authorities would get valuable information on hitherto unknown visits.

HOW WILL THE ETIAS AUTOMATED SYSTEM WORK?

The information collected via the ETIAS visa waiver system complies with fundamental rights and data protection laws and regulations.

The ETIAS will evaluate possible security or irregular migration threats. ETIAS will use an innovative technology to check the information given by visa-exempt nationalities against numerous security databases, including Europol and Interpol, before granting or denying a travel permit.

If required, the acquired data may be made accessible to domestic law enforcement agencies for the following purposes:

  • Prevention, detection or investigation of a terrorist offense, or other serious criminal offenses
  • Identification of the perpetrator of a terrorist attack or other serious crime

Each application will be automatically checked in the following databases by the system:

RELEVANT EXISTING EU INFORMATION SYSTEMS:

The European Union presently operates the following information systems, which are being modified to function in tandem with the ETIAS verification procedures and other future systems:

The Schengen Information System (SIS):

  • Is introducing new alerts for terrorist-related activities, wanted, or missing individuals
  • Implementing a biometric search service to help authorities easily identify dangerous or conflictive subjects

The Visa Information System (VIS):

  • Facilitates the verification and issuance of European visas and asylum requests
  • Allows border guards to ensure that a traveler presenting a visa is its rightful holder
  • Helps recognize fraudulent documents and take the necessary steps to protect the Schengen Area
  • Protects citizens from identity fraud and theft
  • Aids in preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist crimes and other illegal activities

PROPOSED FUTURE EU INFORMATION SYSTEMS:

Along with the ETIAS, the EU is working on additional information systems to increase internal security, some of which include:

  • The Entry/Exit System (EES), which aims to register the crossing of visa-exempt travelers through the Schengen borders as well as any failed attempts to enter the territory
  • The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) which should facilitate EU’s national authorities’ access to criminal records of third-country citizens convicted in a Schengen Member State

RELEVANT INTERPOL DATABASES:

The following security databases will be integrated with the ETIAS to bolster its efforts to make Europe safer for its citizens:

ETIAS will assist bridge current security information gaps and offer critical information to the authorities of all Member States by collecting essential information on all visitors prior to their arrival at the Schengen border and comparing it to the aforementioned databases.

THE ETIAS WILL ALSO ASSIST IN:

  • Determining potential risks and/or suspicious individuals and therefore help take action before they reach the Schengen Area’s external borders
  • Improving the detection of human trafficking, particularly in the case of minors
  • Helping tackle border-crossing criminality
  • Aiding in the identification of individuals whose presence in the Schengen area could pose a security threat
  • Performing speedier in-depth EU and third-country passenger checks at external European borders

OTHER EU REGULATIONS TO IMPROVE SECURITY IN EUROPE

The European Union is now implementing other tactical measures that complement the ETIAS visa waiver. All of these programmes work together to make Europe safer for both residents and visitors.

For instance, the EU is reinforcing Frontex and increasing its scope which includes more extensive cooperation between the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and national authorities which will improve their ability to:

Frontex also collaborated with INTERPOL to establish the Frontex-INTERPOL Electronic Library Document System in April 2022. (FIELDS). This technology detects forgeries and assists first-line border control agents by using information on travel papers and their security features.

Furthermore, owing to unusual circumstances, six Schengen countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden) have instituted interim internal border control. This was established as a resource to prevent terrorists from freely roaming inside the European Union.

EU MEASURES TO PREVENT RADICALIZATION IN EUROPE

Legislation passed with ETIAS with the goal of preventing radicalization of EU citizens and, as a result, ensuring the well-being of Schengen inhabitants include:

  • Preventing EU citizens from visiting conflict areas in Syria and Iraq with the intention of joining jihadist terrorist organizations
  • Promoting cybersecurity to counter radicalization by requiring social media companies such as Facebook and YouTube to eliminate terrorist content within one hour of receiving an order from officials
  • Creating a continent-wide hate-preacher watchlist, isolating radicalized prisoners in jails as well as tutoring and working towards the social inclusion of at-risk persons

Because of all of these steps, the number of terrorist attacks and victims in the European Union decreased dramatically in 2018 and is likely to decrease more in future years as additional regulations and EU security systems become fully operational.