At their October 2025 meeting, EU home affairs ministers took stock of the Schengen area just days after the Entry/Exit System entered into force. The discussion linked the live rollout of EES with the next wave of border technology, including ETIAS and the updated Eurodac system.
The December 2025 Justice and Home Affairs Council combined migration policy decisions with another major step in the EU’s border technology agenda. Ministers endorsed a roadmap for future interoperability work while placing EES, ETIAS and Eurodac inside a longer-term plan for Schengen security.
The EU response to terrorism has grown from emergency measures into a broader framework covering borders, financing, online content, databases and judicial cooperation.
EU home affairs ministers linked border technology, migration management, Schengen returns and international security cooperation in a single agenda.
The EU is building a more connected digital architecture for borders, migration and law enforcement, with interoperability at the center of the plan.
Schengen remains one of the EU's clearest achievements, combining passport-free travel with shared border standards and cross-border security tools.
The European Union is reshaping how non-EU visitors enter the bloc. New digital systems will combine biometric border checks, electronic travel approval and a fee structure that changes the travel process significantly.
The European Union is preparing major changes at its external borders. Here is a clear guide to the EES and ETIAS systems, the expected rollout timeline, and what non-EU travelers should be ready for.
The EU’s long-planned Entry/Exit System is meant to modernize border control, but travel industry groups say uncertainty, weak public awareness and operational risks could still delay the rollout and disrupt tourism.
The EU’s long-planned Entry/Exit System is facing another delay, leaving many travellers unsure about when the new border checks will begin. Here is a clear overview of what the EES is, who it affects, and how it could change travel to the Schengen Area.