Plans by the European Commission to replace traditional ink-on-paper passport stamps with a digital alternative have been met with dismay by some member statesDocuments revealed by StateWatch this week noted concerns among member states over the impact of the abolition of the stamping of travel documents, especially with regard to the daily duties of immigration/police and municipal/social services.A proposed new EU database known as the Entry/Exit System (EES) would require the fingerprinting of all non-residents entering the Schengen area, with the aim of making it easier to calculate and detect who has "overstayed" their visa entitlement.StateWatch writes that a Registered Traveller Programme (RTP), for the vetting of certain travellers before they reach EU borders, would also be introduced, along with amendments to the Schengen Borders Code.The issues were noted in a questionnaire sent to 24 Member States and four Schengen Associated Countries responded. It sought to gather information in order to "[optimise] the provisions on overstayers included in the draft Regulation establishing the Entry/Exit System.""Concerns were raised on the impact of the abolition of the stamping of travel documents, especially with regard to the daily duties of immigration/police and municipal/social services within the territory of a state, consulates and ILOs. A clear link was identified regarding the need to define access rights policy to the systems for various stakeholders."A full briefing of the results of the questionnaire and related issues can be found in the StateWatch briefing "'Preparing the ground for "smart borders": EU action on "overstayers"'.
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