The name Frontières extéruers, or FRONTEX for short, is hardly known, although every traveller entering the Schengen area has had to deal with these officials at some point. They check passports, but usually there is little to complain about, because many countries can enter the Schengen area without a visa or any other visual check. There have always been security concerns about this procedure, but these should be a thing of the past from the end of 2022. That is when the new entry system ETIAS will be introduced. This will also change the importance of ETIAS.

As things stand, ETIAS will be introduced at the end of 2022. The Corona pandemic has hardly changed the plans. Many travellers fear an unreasonable effort. English media even speak of an "entry fee" to Europe. But ETIAS has nothing to do with Brexit. Rather, it is a reaction to the security situation in Europe. In recent years, there have been repeated attacks. Some of these could have been prevented if there had been stricter controls at the borders. In order to keep the effort low, European governments have decided to introduce a uniform entry system, ETIAS.