IATE Term of the Week: Border Security

1777

 

Europe has been a target of terror attacks repeatedly since the early 2000s. European countries have especially had a difficult struggle during the last four to five years. Fortunately, many of the planned attacks could be prevented by locating and capturing the perpetrators. But how are we able to detect covertly planned attacks before they are executed?

This is largely thanks to the security management and the safety measures taken by the European Union. Several units are involved and put their efforts into securing the EU´s external borders as well as the Schengen area. Police forces and the military are supported by agencies such as Europol and Frontex, which are not only responsible for terrorism prevention but also for fighting organised crime such as human trafficking, or for managing migration more effectively. Despite all security activities, the procedures aim to ensure the privilege of free movement of people inside the Schengen area. This conflict represents a challenge for the border guards, who have no background information of the travellers and are therefore unable to decide whether they should deny entry or not.

However, to counter further risks other precautions are envisaged. One of the focal points in this week´s plenary session in Strasbourg was the reinforcement of border security. On Thursday, the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) was voted in. This system, which is set to come into force in 2021, will mean that non-EU travellers who are exempt from a visa obligation, will have to get an official authorisation before entering the EU in future. This new regulation will affect more than 60 countries. The authorisation will be requested online, where the applicants will be required to declare their name, their nationality and gender. They will also be asked to provide details about possible health issues and criminal records. The document will cost 7 euros and will be valid for three years; it will be free for minors and seniors over the age of 70. These precautions are intended to filter out visitors who are classified as dangerous to the population of the EU, due to possible epidemic risks for example. Thus, this system intends to increase the security of the member countries.

Here is a screenshot of the IATE entry for border security:

 

Sources:

https://bundespolizei.de/Web/DE/03Unsere-Aufgaben/04Internationale-Aufgaben/Internationale-Aufgaben_anmod.html

https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/borders-and-security_en

https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/securing-eu-borders_en

ETIAS – European Travel Information and Authorisation System

https://dw.com/en/eu-to-toughen-up-external-border-security-in-its-fight-against-terrorism/a-38330885

http://europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/security/20180628STO06868/security-screening-travellers-before-they-arrive-in-the-eu

http://europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20180628IPR06808/reinforcing-eu-border-security-visa-exempt-travellers-will-be-pre-screened


Written by Karine Marinho Ribeiro – Communication Study Visitor at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament (Luxembourg) and a student of the Master´s Programme in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts at the University of Luxembourg. She holds a BA in German and Lusophone Philology from the University of Cologne. She speaks Portuguese, Luxembourgish, German, French, English and Spanish.