IMMIGRATION : SMART BORDERS' PLAN BOUND TO CAUSE STIR.

• Position: European Union Entry-Exit System

The member states have been waiting for it for two years, and now the EU Entry-Exit System (EES) for the Schengen area is on the table. The European Parliament's Greens group had immediately said no' to a "technological Big Brother" in the EU.

The European Commission's answer to national demand for increased border security has been, therefore, on 28 February, to propose state-of-the-art technology. The aim is to reduce pressure at the 1,800 crossing points in the borderless Schengen area. Cecilia Malmstrom, the commissioner responsible for internal security, said: "Every year, more than 700 million EU citizens and third-country nationals cross the EU's external borders. This number is expected to rise significantly in the future. By 2030, the number of people at European airports could double, reaching over 700 million" (compared with 400 million in 2009).

Two measures...