Wednesday 16 November: The Commission publishes a proposal to establish an EU Travel and Information Authorisation System (ETIAS)

The news:

The European Commission is tabling a proposal to establish an EU Travel and Information Authorisation System (ETIAS) on Wednesday 16 November 2016, as announced by President Juncker in his State of the Union address on 14 September when he said: "We need to know who is crossing our borders. By November, we will propose an automated system to determine who will be allowed to travel to Europe. This way we will know who is travelling to Europe before they even get here."

The background:

The ETIAS will gather information on all travellers who are travelling visa free to Europe to allow for advance irregular migration and security checks. This will contribute to a more efficient management of the EU's external borders and improve internal security, whilst at the same time facilitating legal travel across Schengen borders.

Security has been a constant theme since the beginning of the Juncker Commission's mandate - from President Juncker's Political Guidelines of July 2014 to the latest State of the Union address on September 2016.

The European Commission adopted the European Agenda on Security on 28 April 2015, setting out the main actions to ensure an effective EU response to terrorism and security threats in the European Union over the period 2015-2020.

Since the adoption of the Agenda, significant progress has been made in its implementation. Key areas of attention have been reinforced by Action Plans adopted in December 2015 on firearms and explosives, in February 2016 on strengthening the fight against terrorist financing, the Communication of 6 April 2016 on Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security, and the Communication of 20 April 2016 on Delivering on the European Agenda on Security to fight against terrorism and pave the way towards an effective and genuine Security Union.

Most recently, the launch on 6 October of a European Border and Coast Guard, as announced by President Juncker in his State of the Union Speech on 9 September 2015 and only 9 months after the Commission's proposal in December, shows a clear commitment to implement the measures under the European Agenda on Migration to reinforce the management and security of the EU's external borders.

The creation by President Juncker of a specific Commissioner portfolio for the Security Union in August 2016 shows the importance the Commission has attached to stepping up its response to the terrorist threat.

The event:

Wednesday 16 November 2016: The Commission publishes a proposal to establish an EU Travel and Information Authorisation System (ETIAS).

The sources:

Communication: Delivering on the European Agenda on Security to fight against terrorism and pave the way towards an effective and genuine Security Union

European Agenda on Security

Factsheet: Security Union

Questions and Answers: Paving the way towards a genuine and effective Security Union

Mission Letter to Sir Julian King, Commissioner for the Security Union

AGENDA/16/3710