The Government will create a working group that will be responsible for implementing the new intelligent border control security systems at the European level. According to the dispatch published in the Official Gazette, this team will be composed of seven members of the Government and other entities and the work will be coordinated by the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo, according to a report by ECO.

The issue at stake is the implementation of the new Entry and Exit System (EES), which is expected to become operational from October 6 in most of the 27 member states of the European Union, and also the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will become operational “around six months later”. Both systems aim to strengthen European security and monitor the movements of non-EU citizens entering and leaving the Schengen area.

The EES is a new electronic system that will replace the physical stamping of passports when passing through passport control on arrival. All EU member states — with the exception of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania, where passports will continue to be stamped manually — and the four non-Schengen countries of the EU (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) will be part of this new system.

Once it goes into operation, from 6 October, travellers landing in another EU country will be required to have their face photographed and their fingerprints electronically scanned. Citizens of the EU or Schengen countries will not be affected and will be able to continue to travel freely throughout the area.

“Significant constraints”

Although the EES is expected to come into force by October 6, it is unlikely to be implemented in time to address the “significant constraints” experienced this year in the “processing of passengers from third countries, particularly arrivals at Humberto Delgado Airport and Faro Airport”, the order states. It is expected that during the high summer season (between March 31 and October 26), there will be an “increase of up to 10% in passengers” from third countries (non-Schengen) at Portuguese airports, compared to 2023.

According to the order, the work of the working group will be coordinated by the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo, who will be responsible for reporting on the progress of the implementation of the systems to the Ministries of the Presidency, Internal Affairs and Infrastructure every month until April 30, 2025. After that date, the working group will submit a final report to the Government.

The team will be made up of a government representative responsible for migration; a government representative responsible for internal administration and a representative of the External Border Control Unit of the Internal Security System.

The group will also include a representative of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA); a representative of the Public Security Police; a representative of the National Republican Guard and a representative of ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal.

It should be noted that the implementation of these two systems generated some controversy after the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, accused the previous government of being responsible for the delay in meeting the deadlines set at the European level.

At the time, the minister even warned that there was a risk of Portugal being suspended from the Schengen Area for non-compliance, but an official source from the European Commission assured ECO that such a scenario was not on the table, with the Internal Security System (SSI) ensuring that Portugal has already “made up for delays” in implementing the security systems in question.