EU Border Tech Gets Major Upgrade Through 2028
Dec 17, 2025
Category: Border and Security EES ETIAS EU News
The European Union has approved a major tech plan to connect its border control, migration, and security databases into one unified network by 2028.
The interoperability plan will link systems such as the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the Schengen Information System (SIS), helping authorities spot identity fraud and manage borders more efficiently across member states.
Systems finally talk to each other
The EU’s Interoperability Roadmap links border control, migration, and security databases that have operated separately for years. Home Affairs Ministers approved the plan at their December 8 meeting in Brussels, setting firm targets for 2027 and 2028.
The roadmap aims to connect major systems such as the EES, which tracks when non-EU travellers enter and leave the Schengen Area, and the SIS, which shares alerts on wanted people and stolen documents.
At the moment, border guards and police must check each database individually. The new system will let them search everything at once through a single portal.
“Interoperability remains central to efficient border management, asylum and migration procedures, and internal security,” eu-LISA said in its announcement.
The agency runs the EU’s large-scale IT systems and coordinates their technical development across member states.
What changes in 2027
Next year begins a major phase of technical integration. The Multiple-Identity Detector will go live, scanning biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images across different databases to flag people using fake identities or multiple names.
The system targets two scenarios. It will identify legitimate travellers whose records appear under slightly different names because of spelling mistakes or documentation issues.
It will also detect people who deliberately use false identities to cross borders illegally or commit fraud.
Border authorities currently struggle to verify identities when someone’s information appears differently across systems. A person might have one spelling in the visa database and another in asylum records, making it unclear whether they are the same individual.
The Prüm II Router will also launch in 2027, linking national police databases for faster checks of DNA, fingerprints, and vehicle registrations. Police in one country will be able to receive results from others within minutes instead of days or weeks.
The 2028 integration push
The full interoperability system will go live in 2028, linking all major databases through shared components. The European Search Portal will act as the main interface, allowing authorised users to search several systems at once.
The Common Identity Repository will store biographical information about non-EU citizens in one place, using data from visa applications, border crossings, and asylum requests.
Instead of records being scattered across separate systems, authorities will see a complete profile showing every interaction someone has had with EU immigration or border control.
A Shared Biometric Matching Service will run fingerprint and facial recognition searches across all connected systems.
At the moment, each biometric database uses different matching tools and storage formats, so officers must run separate searches. The new service standardises how biometric data is compared and retrieved.
The Central Repository for Reporting and Statistics will produce cross-system analytics for policymakers and operational planners.
Officials will be able to track migration trends, identify bottlenecks at border crossings, and measure how quickly asylum applications are processed.
Systems already in pipeline
Although the roadmap focuses on 2027 and 2028, eu-LISA is currently working on systems set to launch in 2026.
The new Eurodac database, due in June, will expand beyond asylum seekers to include data on irregular border crossings and return procedures.
Eurodac has operated since 2003, storing fingerprints of asylum applicants so countries can decide which member state should process each case under the Dublin Regulation. The upgraded system will add facial images, link to the interoperability framework, and cover a wider range of migration situations.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS, will require visa-exempt travellers to get pre-authorisation before entering the Schengen Area.
Similar to the U.S. ESTA programme, ETIAS will screen travellers against security databases before they board flights or ferries to Europe.
ECRIS-TCN, the European Criminal Records Information System for Third-Country Nationals, will allow member states to check whether non-EU citizens have criminal convictions in other EU countries.
At present, criminal record exchanges work reliably only for EU citizens.
Technical bridges between databases
Europe’s border and migration systems developed separately over many years, each built for a specific purpose. The Visa Information System tracks visa applications. The Asylum Fingerprint Database handles asylum requests. The EES monitors border crossings.
But these systems do not share information automatically. This separation creates problems.
Someone denied a visa in one country might apply for asylum in another, and border guards would not immediately know about the visa refusal. A person flagged as a security risk in one database might still pass through border control if officers do not check the right system.
The interoperability plan tackles these gaps by creating links between databases. When a border officer scans a passport, the search will run across all relevant systems at once and return a single result showing alerts, past applications, or identity matches.
The plan also aims to cut down on duplicate data entry. At the moment, officials enter the same personal details into different systems when someone applies for a visa and later crosses a border.
The Common Identity Repository will remove this repetition by storing core identity data once and linking it across all applications.
Technical challenges ahead
Building interoperability involves more than linking databases. Each system uses different data formats, security standards, and access rules.
The technical team must also ensure searches are fast enough for border checkpoints, where officers need results within seconds.
Privacy and data protection make the work even more complex. EU law tightly controls who can access certain information and for what purpose. For example, a police officer investigating a theft should not see someone’s asylum application.
The interoperability framework must enforce these rules automatically while still allowing legitimate searches.
Member states must also upgrade their national systems to connect to the EU-level network. Some countries rely on older technology that needs major updates.
eu-LISA provides technical support, but each country must commit its own resources and staff to make the changes.
Cybersecurity is another challenge. Linking systems increases the number of potential entry points for hackers. The infrastructure must guard against data breaches while staying accessible to thousands of authorised users across the EU.
Coordinating 27 countries
The roadmap’s success depends on all member states meeting both technical deadlines and legal requirements. Previous EU IT projects have been delayed when countries struggled to upgrade national systems or complete testing on time.
eu-LISA’s Single Programming Document for 2026–2028 recognises this challenge and highlights the need for “close coordination among Member States, EU institutions and Agencies” to ensure smooth implementation.
The agency provides readiness assessments, training, and transition support to help countries prepare.
Legal clarity is also important. The interoperability regulations define what data can be shared and under which conditions, but some implementation details still need further guidance.
EU institutions continue to work with member states to resolve these issues and ensure consistent interpretation across borders.
EU races to secure borders
The Interoperability Roadmap marks a major shift in how Europe manages border security and migration data. By connecting separate systems into one network, the EU aims to close gaps that previously allowed identity fraud and irregular migration to go unnoticed.
The plan will only work if all 27 member states meet the 2028 deadline. If completed on time, the unified system could change how Europe monitors border movement and responds to security threats in real time.