The European Union authorities have confirmed that the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) has been postponed to 2024 and that there is currently no exact date when it will come into effect, although it will be announced as soon as possible.
Anitta Hipper, the EU Commission’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Migration and Internal Security, explained that because the ETIAS is being developed closely with the Entry/Exit System (EES), it cannot become effective until the EES launches first.
“The current expected date for ETIAS to be fully operational is 2024. The entry into operation of ETIAS can only take place five to six months after the EES starts,” SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
She also said that the timeline for the full entry into operation of the EES will be revised accordingly and discussed at the Management Board of EU Lisa, and then the JHA Council set to be held in June, and that it will be discussed in the upcoming Schengen Council on March 9th.
Last Friday, we reported that the ETIAS launch date had been updated on the website of the EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs to 2024, from the previous launch date of November 2023.
Whereas the date of the EES launch, which previously was May 2023, has also been postponed, after the EU-LISA, which is the agency responsible for managing big EU IT systems like the EES and ETIAS, revealed that May 2023 was no longer a realistic date for the EES becoming effective due to delays by contractors.
The date when the EES rolls out has not been confirmed either, though the EU says it will happen by the end of this year.
