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Date Published: 16/07/2024

Work begins on new Entry-Exit system at Gibraltar border

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The smart border system will use cameras to control the entry of non-EU citizens

Work begins on new Entry-Exit system at Gibraltar border

Spain’s Ministry of the Interior has started installing a complex intelligent border system at the entrances and exits of Gibraltar, including facial recognition and X-ray technology.

While this is in line with the EU’s requirements for the new Entry Exit System (EES) designed to control the access of third country citizens, it could ruffle a few feathers in the UK and US, both of which are wary of collecting data on their military personnel stationed on the Rock.

A long-awaited agreement could also be reached between the EU and UK that allows free movement of people and goods, which would mean the entire system would have to be dismantled again, presumably at great expense.

The new mechanism uses cameras and biometric facial recognition software that promises to speed up border checks, which should benefit the 15,000 cross-border workers, as well as increasing security.

Talks have resumed on the future of Gibraltar, which centre around incorporating the Rock into the European Schengen area.

But for now, UK citizens, along with other nationalities arriving on the Rock, will continue to have to comply with a series of requirements at the border to enter Spain: carry a passport, justify the purpose of the visit and the conditions of their stay (a hotel reservation, for example), as well as demonstrate sufficient funds to cover the trip. Gibraltarians are the exception, since they enjoy a unique status and pass through simply by showing their ID.

Biometric facial checks to identify each individual are designed to speed up the entire process, although in some cases, such as that of members of the British and US armed forces who frequently stop over at the Gibraltar military base, they could prove to be a major inconvenience.

In other news: Should you drink cold or room temperature water in summer?

Image: User3204 via Wikimedia Commons

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