Since the autumn, the European Union has begun to change its software, quite literally. Gone are the old-fashioned stamps, replaced by a digital registration system that collects identity, biometric data, and entry and exit dates. As a result, in six months, more than 27,000 people have been refused entry into the European Union, according to the Commission, including 700 considered "a security threat." At the same time, Brussels claims to have already recorded more than 52 million entries and exits, proof of a system that is running fast, sometimes too fast for those who arrive at the counter without the right profile or the correct documentation.
70 seconds per person, and sometimes a one-way trip
This new system targets third-country nationals—those who do not hold the nationality of an EU member state or of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland—for short stays limited to 90 days. The procedure combines online registration, pre-registration at a kiosk, and then a police check, with a promise of an average of 70 seconds to register a traveler. Brussels highlights faster checks, better detection of overstays, and strengthened security at external borders, while the issue of refusals and returns remains closely monitored by NGOs and European institutions, which regularly denounce "pushback" practices in several sensitive areas. Balancing apparent efficiency with vigilance regarding compliance with the law, Europe is walking a fine line, with one question constantly resurfacing: what lasting impact will this new filter have on the ground?
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