After facing pressure from the European Union in mandating the implementation and validation of its new border control systems by July, Portugal may not make the deadline. This could have far-reaching consequences on travel to and from the country.
António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency of Portugal, told Portugal Resident that if the country did not meet its deadline, the country would be suspended from the Schengen Area.
In March, Portugal allocated €25 million (R495 million) towards the country’s border control system. However, according to Economic Times India, the procurement of a service provider was not done, with Leitão Amaro attributing the delay to Portugal’s previous administration.
As part of the EU’s border control measures, its Entry/Exit System (EES) is expected to come into effect on October 6 this year. European countries that are part of the Schengen Area need to take several steps to ensure it has the means to record the information of travellers from the UK and other non-EU countries, including capturing their fingerprints.
Once the EES has been implemented, it paves the way for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a travel authorisation to enter the EU for citizens of non-EU countries, which is expected by the first half of next year.
Portugal’s government is reportedly taking action and will source its service providers through direct contracts, something that has been criticised as favouritism and inefficiency.
