LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta is in real risk that will be suspended from the Schengen area due to its failure to implement a new passport control system, known as the Entry/Exit System, EES. The EES is a centralized automated IT system that will record and store the date, time, and place of entry and exit of non-EU nationals crossing the EU’s external borders. It will apply to those requiring short-stay visas as well as visa-exempt travelers from non-EU countries visiting for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. The Home Affairs Ministry has acknowledged Malta is in a race against time to have its border control system aligned with new EU rules by the October 2024 deadline, stating it is in talks with Brussels over potential contingency plans to avoid any risk of being suspended from the free movement area.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Party MEP Peter Agius said that he had requested an informal meeting with the European Commission, who told him that there is a “real risk” that Malta is suspended from the Schengen Area since it continues to lack the required electronic system to verify fingerprints and passports.
According to the European Commission, the Maltese Government is creating a temporary manual system of passport control and that, through this, Malta would avoid being suspended from the Schengen zone this October. The system, however, may be bureaucratic and time-consuming.(ITALPRESS).
Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma
