24 October 2023: The European Council has endorsed the new timeline for the roll-out and interoperability of EU information systems that are used by Member States to fight crime, control borders and manage migration flows. According to the new roadmap, the delivery of the new IT architecture foresees that the Entry/Exit system (EES) will be ready to enter into operation in autumn 2024, with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) then ready to enter into operation in spring 2025.

28 September 2023: Last week, ERA informally heard that the implementation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) was being postponed until 2025 because of delays to the Entry/Exit System (EES) that will not be ready until the end of 2024.

Several complications have contributed to the postponement in the implementation of EES and ETIAS. Some unforeseen issues such as technical challenges, data privacy concerns and security upgrades, as well as the Paris Olympics with a resource allocation and security concerns have all contributed to this setback. The EES implementation date remains in 2024 with the eu-Lisa expected to come up with an exact date in the following months.

The European Commission’s spokesperson for Home Affairs, Anitta Hipper, has stated “the entry into operation of ETIAS can only take place 5 to 6 months after the entry into operations of the EES”. According to the latest updates received, ETIAS is not expected to be launched before May 2025, as the implementation of EES will happen in 2024.

In addition, back in July, the Belgian delegation to the Working Party on Frontiers and Mixed Committee suggested through a non-paper the decoupling of the ETIAS with other databases [1] in order to make it possible to become effective in May 2024. No movement has been made towards this proposal so far.

More information on the implementation of ETIAS and EES will likely to be discussed during the next Justice and Home Affairs Ministers Informal meeting on 19 –20 October.