During the plenary session (2-5 July 2018) in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

European Travel Information and Authorisation System (T)

European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS): extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Kinga G&#193;L (EPP, HU), Rapporteur, At this moment in time we don&rsquo;t really preliminary information relating to those travellers that are visa exempt and that arrive at the external border of the Schengen area. It is a lack of information and Etias is supposed to remedy that lack of information.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, It will strengthen internal security and the quality of Schengen border management. Today border have limited time and information when making their assessment on entry. They have no prior information on visa exempt travellers especially at land borders, with Etias they will benefit from an additional and broader migration risk assessment, than at the border point and before the traveller arrives to the Schengen borders.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS, Member of the EC in charge of Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, The system will also help to safeguard our visa liberalisation policy, something which is of course a key component of the European Union external policy.

SOUNDBITE (French), G&#233;rard DEPREZ (ALDE, BE), BUDG, So these millions of people (30.000 -40.000) entering the EU and what proportion of them is representing a risk in terms of public order, criminality, migration. We see that Etias can bring added value for the EU because it can help us to deal with potential risks.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA (EPP, MT), We will manage all this online and on mobile, quickly, very rapidly, cheaply and efficiently. This one of the most important EU laws as far as security is concerned and I&rsquo;m very proud that the EPP group had been a catalyst for this.

SOUNDBITE (French), Sylvie GUILLAUME (S&amp;D, FR), I would say that any kind of information system and my political group was concerned about the objectives, but also the impact that it might have on the rights of the applicants and data protection and thanks to our initiative we added to the system a recommendation, a guidance board as you like, which is made up of independent experts and they are there to make sure that there is no breach of Fundamental rights applicable to travellers.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Helga STEVENS (ECR, BE), Hopefully from 2021 it will screen visa exempt Nationals, together with data banks, the security services will have a better view, as with the Schengen information system, people won&rsquo;t be able to travel without being identified, it works with a clever algorithm, it is good news for the tax payers, the system pays for itself, because applicants will pay 7 Euros for an electronic application.