Quick Read
- The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) launched in October 2025, replacing manual passport checks with biometric registration for non-EU nationals at Schengen borders.
- Major European airports face processing delays of up to 70%, with travelers waiting hours due to technical glitches and staff shortages.
- European lawmakers have passed a resolution to create a ‘military Schengen’ zone, aiming to speed up troop and equipment movement in response to Russian aggression.
- Over €17 billion in funding is proposed for military mobility upgrades, with additional digital solutions and streamlined authorizations in the works.
- The future of Schengen hinges on balancing security needs with freedom of movement, as digital reforms and military demands reshape the landscape.
Schengen’s Digital Revolution: Promise Meets Turbulence
As Europe steps into 2025, the Schengen area finds itself at the heart of a sweeping transformation—one that touches millions of travelers, border officials, and, increasingly, military planners. This year marks the full-scale rollout of the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES), a landmark digital overhaul designed to modernize how the bloc manages its famously open borders. At the same time, a parallel debate surges in Brussels: Should there be a ‘military Schengen’—a zone where troops and equipment can move as freely as tourists?
For decades, Schengen has symbolized seamless travel and economic integration. Now, its evolution is being shaped by two powerful forces: the drive for technological control over migration, and the urgent need for rapid military mobility in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Digital Borders: EES and ETIAS Shake Up Travel
On October 12, 2025, the EU launched the EES, a new digital system to register and track non-EU nationals crossing into the Schengen zone. The system replaces manual passport stamping with biometric data collection—fingerprints, facial scans—stored in a central EU database. The goal? To tighten security, better monitor overstayers, and streamline checks for bona fide travelers (BiometricUpdate, TheLocal).
But the reality at Europe’s airports has been far from smooth. According to ACI EUROPE, processing times at key airports in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain have soared by up to 70%. Travelers now wait hours in lines, frustrated by malfunctioning kiosks, frequent system outages, and a chronic shortage of border staff (TravelAndTourWorld, TheLocal). The new system’s complexity has exposed the difficulties of rolling out large-scale biometric controls in real time.
At the heart of these problems is a simple tension: the more sophisticated the digital checks, the more demanding the operational reality. Self-service kiosks, designed to speed up registration, are often unavailable or offline. Automated Border Control (ABC) gates, another promise of seamless travel, remain inactive for EES processing at many locations. And the lack of a robust pre-registration app means travelers cannot complete their requirements before arrival, compounding bottlenecks at busy airports.
“Significant discomfort is already being inflicted upon travelers, and airport operations impacted with the current threshold for registering third country nationals set at only 10%,” warns Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE. “This will possibly involve serious safety hazards.” The delays have ripple effects—airlines struggle with scheduling, costs mount, and the economic reputation of European travel takes a hit.
In response, ACI EUROPE has called for swift action: technical fixes, more border personnel, full deployment of kiosks and ABC gates, and a pre-registration app that actually works. The European Commission, Frontex, and eu-LISA (the EU’s large-scale IT agency) are under pressure to deliver.
Yet, optimism persists among EU officials. Uku Särekanno of Frontex sees the EES as a “symbolic milestone,” offering the first centralized oversight of who is in—and who has left—the Schengen area. With over 600 million border crossings annually, the stakes are high. Särekanno argues that digitized borders can strike a balance: better security and smoother travel, with biometrics and digital credentials paving the way for automated, risk-based entry procedures. The next step, ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System), launches in late 2026, further tightening pre-travel checks for non-EU visitors.
‘Military Schengen’: Security in the Age of Russian Aggression
While airports wrestle with digital disruption, a different kind of border debate is unfolding in the European Parliament. Lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly to back the creation of a ‘military Schengen’—a zone where troops and equipment can move swiftly and seamlessly across EU borders, echoing the principles that have long made civilian travel so fluid (Stripes.com, EuromaidanPress).
This push comes against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has thrown Europe’s security priorities into sharp relief. The current patchwork of national rules, weight limits, and infrastructure bottlenecks means that moving tanks and convoys across the continent can take weeks. In some cases, bridges aren’t strong enough for heavy military vehicles, and administrative red tape can halt movements at borders for days.
MEPs say this is no longer acceptable. They urge the EU to follow NATO’s example: rapid-reaction troops should be able to cross internal borders within three days in peacetime, and within 24 hours during a crisis. The resolution calls for more funding—over €17 billion in the next EU budget—targeted at upgrading transport corridors, bridges, tunnels, and rail lines, especially in central and eastern Europe. Some estimates put the total needed for infrastructure upgrades at €117 billion.
Digital solutions are also on the table: a one-stop-shop for movement authorizations, a military mobility task force, and a dedicated European coordinator to streamline implementation. Regular joint exercises and stress tests will identify obstacles and keep the system agile. Latvia’s Roberts Zile, a co-rapporteur, sums up the urgency: “Military mobility has become even more urgent in light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. There is no time to waste.”
Schengen’s Future: A Balancing Act of Openness and Security
As Europe’s borders go digital and its military planners push for new freedoms, the Schengen area faces a crossroads. For travelers, the promise of seamless movement collides with technical glitches and operational headaches. For security officials, the need to track and control who enters and leaves has never been more acute. And for military leaders, the old obstacles to moving troops—bridges too weak, paperwork too slow—must be swept away if Europe is to respond quickly in a crisis.
The coming months will be a test. Can the EU’s digital border systems mature into reliable, user-friendly tools that deliver both safety and convenience? Will the ‘military Schengen’ become reality, or stall amid political wrangling and budget cuts? What is clear is that Schengen’s evolution is no longer just about tourism or trade—it’s about the continent’s very ability to adapt to a changing world.
Europe’s border transformation is a story of ambition and growing pains. The drive for security—whether civilian or military—is reshaping how freedom of movement works in practice. As policymakers navigate technical and political challenges, the outcome will define not just how Europe travels, but how it defends itself in an era of uncertainty.