European Commission - Daily News Daily News 10 / 04 / 2026 Brussels, 10 April 2026 Commission welcomes the fully operational Entry/Exit System Today marks a significant milestone in European border security as the Entry/Exit System (EES) becomes fully operational across all Schengen countries. The EES is an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling t...
European Commission - Daily News Daily News 10 / 04 / 2026 Brussels, 10 April 2026 Commission welcomes the fully operational Entry/Exit System Today marks a significant milestone in European border security as the Entry/Exit System (EES) becomes fully operational across all Schengen countries. The EES is an advanced technological system that will digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling to 29 European countries for short stays. The EES gathers biographical and biometric data as well as other travel information, replacing the previous system of passport stamping. It provides reliable data on border crossings, systematically detecting overstayers as well as cases of document and identity fraud. The system began its progressive roll-out in October 2025. Since its introduction, more than 52 million entries and exits were registered, with over 27,000 refusals of entry, of which almost 700 persons were identified as posing a security threat to the Union. With the EES functioning at full capacity, registering a traveller takes on average only 70 seconds, which is a very short time period for non-EU citizens considering the high added value of entering the EU. As of today, the System is deployed across all EU external border crossing points. The Commission remains in close contact with Member States on the implementation of the EES. Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen , said: “The Entry/Exit System marks a major step forward in strengthening the security of the EU and its citizens. It equips our external borders with modern, interoperable and highly advanced technological systems, reflecting Europe's commitment to ensuring strong protection of our external borders and overall security. It will enable authorities to identify risks in real time, tackle overstays more effectively and reinforce trust in the Schengen area.” Magnus Brunner , Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, said: “The Entry/Exit System marks a major milestone in modernising and strengthening the security of Europe's external borders. With the EES, we are taking control of who enters and leaves the EU, when and where. The security of EU citizens remains our highest priority, and the EES delivers on this commitment.” ( For more information: Markus Lammert – Tel.: +32 2 296 75 33; Elettra Di Massa - Tel.: +32 2 298 21 61) ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioners Dombrovskis, Šuica, Síkela, Kos, and Albuquerque attend the 2026 Spring Meetings in Washington, DC From Monday to Saturday next week, 13-18 April, Valdis Dombrovskis , Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification; Dubravka Šuica , Commissioner for the Mediterranean; Jozef Sikela , Commissioner for International Partnerships; Marta Kos , Commissioner for Enlargement; and Maria Luís Albuquerque , Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, are attending the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, DC. Commissioner Dombrovskis will attend the IMF Spring Meetings, holding talks on economic growth and productivity. He will join the 9th ministerial roundtable on Ukraine (World Bank Group) and meet Yulia Svyrydenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Sergiy Marchenko, Ukraine's Finance Minister. He will also attend the G7 and G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings, continuing discussions on global growth and imbalances. Commissioner Šuica will attend a roundtable on the regional economic outlook for the Middle East and Central Asia. She will also hold bilateral meetings with the head of the American Jewish Committee and Alexander De Croo, UNDP Administrator, amongst others. She will take part in an event on Gaza reconstruction and the 'Capacity Development Talk: Strengthening Fiscal Capacity in Fragile States: Insights from Syria'. Commissioner Síkela will present and promote Global Gateway as the EU's investment strategy for sustainable development and mutually beneficial partnerships. He will represent the EU at the World Bank Development Committee plenary and deliver a keynote at Georgetown University on the rules- based international order, and how Global Gateway supports sustainable development and economic resilience. He will also hold meetings with international financial institutions, government representatives and UN leaders, and join side events on critical raw materials, global health and capacity building in Africa. Commissioner Kos will discuss the EU's ongoing financial support for Ukraine through the Ukraine Facility, including a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. She will also meet senators at the US Congress and give a keynote speech at the Atlantic Council. Prior to arriving in DC, Commissioner Kos will speak during a session at Harvard University, engaging with students at the Belfer Center. Commissioner Albuquerque will attend the Spring Meetings and engage with key global counterparts, including Rachel Reeves, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer; Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People's Bank of China; Karin Keller-Sutter, Swiss Federal Councillor and Finance Minister; and Sanjay Malhotra, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, discussing current economic and financial developments and areas for co-operation. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Saul Louis Goulding - Tel.: +32 2 296 47 35) Commissioner Síkela will represent the EU at the 21 st EU - Overseas Countries and Territories Forum in Aruba Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela , will attend the EU-OCT Forum in Aruba from 11 to 13 April. It is the highest-level platform for annual dialogue between the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), the European Union, and EU Member States. This year's Forum marks the launch of a new phase of EU engagement with the Overseas Countries and Territories centred on delivery under the Global Gateway strategy and a more systematic mobilisation of EU financial instruments to deliver concrete results on the ground. At the Forum, a series of flagship projects under Global Gateway on disaster risk management, food systems, biodiversity and culture will be advanced. Building on their unique position across the Caribbean, North Atlantic, Arctic and Indo-Pacific, OCTs remain key partners in strengthening Europe's global presence, boosting resilience, and promoting sustainable growth. The Commission proposes to nearly double financial support for OCTs in the next EU long-term budget, from €500 million to €999 million, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the partnership. During the mission, Commissioner Síkela will also visit EU-funded projects and institutions on the ground, as well as a new office dedicated to the dissemination of information on EU matters relevant for Aruba as an OCT and EU horizontal programmes. He will also hold high-level meetings with representatives of OCT authorities and Member States (Denmark, France and The Netherlands). Commissioner Síkela will hold a press conference on Monday afternoon AST. Audiovisual material of the trip will be available on EBS . (For more information: Guillaume Mercier — Tel.: +32 2 298 05 64; Jennifer Sanchez da Silva – Tel: +32 2 295 83 16) Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings Note that these items can be subject to changes. Upcoming events of the European Commission Eurostat press releases Calendar items of the President and Commissioners Individual calendars of the President and Commissioners MEX/26/793
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