While the majority of the European airports are still in the process of implementing automated screening systems as part of the EES, Lithuania has announced that the EES infrastructure is ready at its airports, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Revealing the work done so far on the EES at the Lithuanian airports, the Director of the Safety and Security Department of Lithuanian Airports, Vidas Kšanas, said that spaces at the airports have been made more convenient for passengers to pass border checks, as self-service terminals and information screens have been set up in each of them.

He also pointed out that the Lithuanian authorities have carefully planned the new areas where additional checks will be carried out and have also modelled the processes for the management of passenger flow and passenger convenience.

“Once the screening starts, third-country citizens will not only receive detailed information on the procedures to be followed but will also have the opportunity to perform most of the services completely independently in the self-service terminals,” Director Kšanas said.

The Entry/Exit System is a new security system for travellers created by the EU in a bid of its authorities to keep track of who enters and who leaves the Member States. The system will register everyone who enters and exits the territory of the EU, through new infrastructure that shall be implemented by the Member Countries at their external borders, including here airports and land borders.

The system will collect and verify biometric and personal data, including fingerprints and facial images, of third-country travellers entering the EU for the first time after the start of the implementation of the EES.

The system was previously planned to become effective in May 2023, however, the agency responsible for its management, the eu-LISA has warned that the EES will be postponed to the end of the year due to unreadiness by some third parties.

In order for the system to function, the Member States need infrastructure and space at border crossing points, which is costly. For its three airports – the Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports – Lithuania has spent €3 million, without calculating VAT, for the EES preparations.

Lithuanian Airports have closely worked with specialists of the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) for the implementation of the EES. SBGS is in charge of the management of the system, and its specialists will later be responsible for carrying out inspections.