Long before ETIAS became part of routine travel headlines, ABTA was explaining it as an EU proposal modelled in part on ESTA-style pre-travel screening. The key point was that the scheme originated in wider Schengen border policy rather than as a direct response to Brexit.
The Council's 2018 adoption of the ETIAS regulation created the legal basis for the EU's planned pre-travel screening system. It clarified who would need an authorisation, how applications would be checked and why approval would still not guarantee entry.
IATA has publicly opposed the UK's plan to raise the ETA fee by 60% only days after the system's wider introduction. The group says the move clashes with tourism growth goals and adds another cost on top of existing air travel taxes.
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.
EU home affairs ministers linked border technology, migration management, Schengen returns and international security cooperation in a single agenda.
A new $250 visa integrity fee applies to all non-immigrant visa holders entering the US -- but travellers from visa waiver countries, including the UK, are exempt. Here is everything you need to know.
The European Commission wants to increase the planned ETIAS authorization fee from €7 to €20 for visa-free travelers visiting most of Europe for short stays. The move is designed to support the EU budget, but the proposal still needs political approval before it can take effect.