1. Debate Session II – 10 October 2013
2nd Global Conference on Future Developments of Automated Border Control (ABC)
Debate Session II – 10 October 2013
What are the Challenges and Opportunities for ABC
Introduction
As an introduction to the debate session II which is called "Benefits and challenges of automation: how to balance security and facilitation at Borders" each of the participants is asked to first "set the scene" on "What are these challenges and opportunities of ABC " as seen from their perspective.
The perspective presented here is the one of the "regulator". Of course the European Commission can only act as a regulator for the European Union. Also just to be precise on the role of the European Commission : the Commission proposes draft legislation to the Council where Member States are represented and to the European Parliament.
Philippe VAN TRIEL
European Commission – Directorate-General HOME
Unit C3 – TransEuropean Networks for Freedom and Security
& relations with eu-LISA 1

2. More border crossings at all types of borders
Extensive & Heterogeneous
km of sea borders
7 721 km of land borders
~ 1800 border crossing points
Over 700 millions crossings / year
The first challenge stems simply from the fact that the number of border crossings is increasing. Currently the number of border crossings totals 700 million on a yearly basis. And this is based on a computation done in % of these border crossings are due to Third Country Nationals.
These border crossings occur both at airports but also at sea and land borders. The figures presented on the size of these borders are there to show that when we think of ABC as part of the solution, the expectation is that these solutions are not restricted to airports. (note that the twenty busiest airports in the EU are the entry points for 30 percent of third-country nationals entering the Union).
Air: 400 mio passengers (2011)
720 mio passengers ( est)
Trend = substantial growth

3. Thorough but uniform procedure for TCN
The second challenge is that for the 30% border crossings by Third Country Nationals, the border control procedure as set out in the Schengen Border Code, includes :
A travel document check, say verifying the passport authenticity.
The verification vs the SISII database whether the traveller is not on the list of persons who should be refused entry into the Schengen area because they are a threat to public policy, internal security, public health and the international relations ;
The verification of the visa, which currently includes biometrics. This verification of fingerpints will become mandatory at the end of 2014 (this is three years after the start in operations).
The border guard asks the traveller the purpose of his stay nd whether they possess sufficient means of subsistence.
Finally, and this occurs both at entry and exit, the border guard checks whether the duration of stay was repected and stamps the passport. When you look at how passports look like you can wonder how this is possible.
N-SISII
ICAO
PKD
VIS
VIS AFIS
National DB
SISII

4. Overstaying hard to identify

5. SB = EES + RTP* RTP Entry Exit Entry/Exit Mr. X Mr. X RTP AFIS
As you understand from the previous two slides, there is an increasing difficulty for applying the Schengen Border code and there has always been a difficulty to determine who the overstayers are, and answer questions as obvious as where do overstayers come from and how many are they?
At the beginning of 2013, the Commission has made a proposal to the two co-legislators to build an Entry-Exit System and a Registered Traveller's system. Both systems only target the Third Country Nationals. There are no implications for the EU citizen.
It is not the purpose here to describe the EES and the RTP in details but to for the sake of the debate session, let me outline that:
The Entry Exit System will register the date of entry and exit of each TCN and compute the amount of days the traveller is allowed to stay.
The Registered Travellers' Programme is a faster and simpler border check process for pre-vetted and pre-screened frequent third country nationals at all external borders. In practice it boils down that the "RTP traveller" will be able to use the lanes of the EU travellers when he opts for manual checks. Or, and here is the opportunity for ABC, the "RTP traveller" can use the automated gates since the Commission proposal provides that no questions are asked to him anymore. As the slide illustrates, the "RTP traveller" will have his RTP status checked, his passport checked, and his visa if this is required. All this can be performed in an ABC gate provided that these multiple checks are performed as well as Fingerprints used as biometric identifiers.
With RTP, the Commission proposes a move from a "one size fits all approach" to a risk based approach. RTP creates at the same time an opportunity for processing TCN's through automatic gates.
Entry/Exit
EES AFIS
* + adaptation of the Schengen Border Code

6. Thank you