Today, October 12, Europe digitizes its borders as the European Union officially activates the Entry/Exit System (EES) —a new mechanism that digitally records every entry and exit of people who are not citizens of the EU or the Schengen area. The system is being launched simultaneously in 29 countries, including Czechia, Sweden, Estonia and Lithuania. In Czech airports, the first passenger registration will take place at 4:00 p.m.
The official narrative speaks of “greater security and efficiency in border control.” Yet behind that neutral phrase lies a deeper transformation: Europe has inaugurated its digital border, a data network combining faces, fingerprints and travel movements of millions of people. More information is available on the official EU portal: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en
A System Presented as a Technical Advancement
According to the Czech Police, the EES will not apply to EU citizens or legal residents. Its goal is to register those entering for tourism or short stays. From now on, instead of physical passport stamps, travelers will receive “digital stamps” recording the date, time and place of entry or exit.
Brussels celebrates the measure as a technological innovation that will “increase security” and “reduce fraud.” In practice, however, it means more cameras, longer lines, and more biometric data stored. The border is no longer a visible barrier, but an automated system deciding who can pass and who cannot.
The Political Meaning of Europe Digitizing Its Borders
The launch of the EES comes at a time when many European governments face domestic pressure over migration. Turning the border into a fully automated system offers a simple political message: “Europe protects its doors.”
For populist movements, the system serves as a rhetorical trophy —a way to claim “we already control the foreigners”— without addressing the real causes of migration or integration policy failures. Technology becomes a convenient shield against public fear.
As Europe digitizes its borders, control becomes both a technical and symbolic act, where automation replaces political debate.
The Cost of Control
Behind the technical language—biometrics, interoperability, traceability—lies a more political issue: the silent expansion of surveillance power.
The EES will connect to police databases, the visa information system (VIS), and later to ETIAS, the travel authorization that all non-EU visitors will have to obtain before entering the Schengen area.
Europe is building an infrastructure that monitors without visible borders. It will track movements with unprecedented precision, yet in an asymmetric way: EU citizens travel freely, others travel registered.
In Practice: Lines, Cameras and Data
For the average traveler, this means longer lines, more cameras and less privacy.
For the authorities, it means a powerful new database recording who enters, how long they stay and when they leave.
And for populist discourse, a useful political tool, a symbol of control that can be shown off without accountability.
Conclusion: Security or Surveillance
The EES marks a historic shift in how Europe manages its borders.
Supporters see it as progress toward security; critics see it as the first step toward mass surveillance of travelers.
Beyond the slogans, the fact remains: Europe digitizes its borders, replacing passport stamps with algorithms and turning every border crossing into a permanent digital record.
Read this chronicle in Spanish: Europa digitaliza sus fronteras