IKV Chairperson Ayhan Zeytinoğlu made a statement regarding the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union's provisional agreement on 19 May 2025 to gradually transition to the Entry-Exit System (EES). Chairperson Zeytinoğlu said:

"EES is defined as an information technology system that will digitise manual border controls and passport stamping processes; digitally record all entries and exits; and store passport information, fingerprints and facial images related to these entry and exit procedures. By recording and making this information easily accessible for short-term trips to the Schengen Area by third-country nationals, the EU aims to combat document fraud and overstaying more effectively.

Following the entry into force of the EES, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is also planned to be introduced, requiring third-country nationals who currently have the right to enter the Schengen Area without a visa for short stays to submit a pre-application prior to their trip. Currently, the EU aims to have the EES fully operational by 2025 and the ETIAS by 2026.

In this regard, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a provisional agreement on 19 May 2025 to transition to the EES within a six-month period. According to this agreement, EU Member States will carry out 10% of border crossings under the EES at the end of the first month. While the collection and recording of biometric data, which forms the basis of the EES, will not be implemented within the first 60 days, the agreement stipulates that the relevant system will be implemented at the end of the three-month period, covering at least 35% of all border crossings, in line with all biometric requirements. The goal is for all entries and exits to be carried out through the EES by the end of the six-month period.

During the transition period, Member States are granted the right to suspend the EES in whole or in part in exceptional circumstances. At the end of this process, the EES will only be suspended for up to six hours in exceptional circumstances and at certain border crossing points.

The start date of the phased transition has not yet been determined. The European Commission is expected to take a decision on initiating the relevant transition process in the coming days.”