Vision-Box Brings the EU Schengen Travel Ecosystem Together to Prepare for EU Smart Borders
Vision-Box will be hosting a series of virtual webinars which will bring together some of the aviation and travel industry’s leading experts as well as government figures, to discuss digital innovation at the service of a successful roll-out at air, land and sea border crossing points within the European Union (EU).
The webinars, called Smart Borders Explained, are due to take place between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 and will discuss in detail the changes across Air, Sea and Land borders, and EU Schengen Border Agencies, in preparation for EU Smart Borders.
Moderated by Vision-Box’s Jeff Lennon, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from eu-LISA, PwC, Finavia, Finnish Border Guard among other experts as they discuss the EU Schengen Smart Borders Entry/Exit program, its legislative, technical and operational requirements ahead of its mandatory enforcement in 2022.
Over the last seven years, the European Commission has launched a bundle of initiatives to improve the management and movement of non-EU citizens or Third Country Nationals (TCNs) in and out of the Schengen states in an interoperable manner. TCNs are individuals who are not citizens of the EU and don’t have the EU right for free movement. The European Commission’s package for TCNs consists of two key initiatives. Together, the harmonization of EU borders through Entry/Exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) seek to improve efficiency, increase accessibility to traveler information, standardize data collection methods, reduce illegal movement and identify potential TCN overstayers.
The Schengen Entry/Exit System in 2022 is predicted to be the next frontier of border control as 26 European countries embrace state-of-the-art smart technologies and improved operational means to protect national borders. However, there is a need to overcome the complexity of integrating human-machine-operated systems into pre-existing national security measures.
The first panel session will be composed by air, land and sea transportation operators and will focus on how security, situational awareness, throughput efficiency, and the passenger experience are improved using Smart Border technology and its corresponding impact on infrastructure. While the second panel session is composed of EU Member States and their respective Border Agencies, and will focus on how compliance with the new Entry/Exit system regulations impacts border operations, while also allowing to identify best practices to be leveraged to ease the implementation of the program.
Speaking about the upcoming webinars, Jeff Lennon, VP – head of global sales and strategic partnerships of Vision-Box, said, “We are delighted to be hosting the Smart Borders Explained live debates during which we will be joined by a number of subject-matter experts, innovators and thought leaders who will all bring with them an eclectic mix of perspectives on what lies ahead for the travel ecosystem ahead of the EU Schengen Smart Borders Entry/Exit program in 2022.
We will look to identify the challenges, but also the many opportunities, which lie ahead for all involved actors in order to develop innovative and thought-provoking ideas which will hopefully lay the foundations for the future, in compliance with the legislative framework at stake. In addition, having the opportunity to allow our guests to get involved over the course of these two days, will only bring together more interesting concepts to take all stakeholders to the next levels of maturity and readiness.”
This latest webinar will be another pioneering moment for Vision-Box, having already hosted a successful live debate earlier this year, which brought together key sector representatives to discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the aviation industry.
