Deputy Minister: Biometric checks at EU external borders to begin October

The new Entry/Exit digital border management system (EES), which will record biometric data such as fingerprints at the external borders of the EU, should begin operating in October, said Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides; though he added that it would take some time for all EU member states to align themselves with the new system.

Ioannides was speaking ahead of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU, which took place in Brussels on 5 March, during which the Ministers agreed on the Council’s position as regards the gradual application of the system ahead of negotiations with the European Parliament.

The Deputy Minister also referred to the upcoming proposal by the European Commission for a new legal framework on returns, as well the position of Cyprus regarding the possibility of allowing Syrian refugees to return to their country for short periods of time in order to assess their prospects for permanent return.

Responding to a question on the new EES system and whether it can be operational from September, Ioannides said that “we've got the date - it's actually October 2025, but we think that it will take some time for all member states to align themselves with this new system”.

“So it probably won't be a concurrent commencement, concurrent start of the programme, but we need to start in order for member states to have the opportunity to align their systems with all the other member states,” he noted.

In his initial statements, the Deputy Minister also underlined that Cyprus “supports the establishment of a comprehensive and efficient legal framework governing the return of third country nationals that do not have the right to remain in the European Union”.

Nevertheless, he stressed, “it is important for member states to maintain a degree of flexibility in order to shape their return programmes according to their own particular circumstances”.

Regarding Syria, the Deputy Minister recalled that Cyprus “has always been an advocate of the idea to move forward with the early recovery of the country in order to create the right conditions for safe and dignified returns”.

“In addition, we agree with the concept of go and see visits, namely to allow Syrian nationals to visit their country without losing international protection so as to facilitate permanent returns,” he continued.

“However, with a view to hindering possible abuse of this scheme, we hold the view that it must be circumscribed in terms of the length of the period within which such visits should take place, as well as the number of visits per family,” he stressed.

Responding to a question on whether it is necessary to have a new framework for returns which would take years to come into effect, and whether it would be better to focus on applying the agreed provisions of the Migration and Asylum Pact, the Deputy Minister insisted that new legislation is necessary.

“Regarding the current legislation, it is commonly accepted that it's not sufficient. Therefore, we'd like to see a new proposal and the majority of member states supports this idea. So we believe that we should make a start in order to discuss a more comprehensive, an effective framework,” he said.

(Source: CNA)