Stricter European border controls for travellers without a visa requirement

Citizens from countries who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area will from now on be screened in advance. The new ETIAS system verifies whether they pose a threat to European security, public health or the migration policy. “This is a new step towards better information sharing, which is central to any robust security policy,” says MEP Helga Stevens.

Extra security for Europe’s external borders

A great many countries - such as the United States, Albania and Macedonia - have an agreement with Europe that allows their citizens to enter Europe without a visa. However, for the security of our citizens, it is irresponsible for millions of people to be able to simply cross our borders and then move freely through the Schengen area. “Thanks to ETIAS, it will soon be possible to deny entry to or arrest high-risk groups or wanted persons,” Helga Stevens explains.

Anyone who has flown to New York, for example, will already be familiar with the procedure. After all, it is based on a comparable US system, in which travellers must register in advance. Police services are given access to ETIAS - in connection with national terrorist investigations - but not immigration services, at least not yet. “The N-VA hopes that this will indeed be the case in future, in order to guard Europe’s external borders even more effectively,” Helga Stevens concludes.