# The European Union has officially launched its new Entry/Exit System, a major digital upgrade to border security that replaces traditional manual passport stamping with a biometric database. The system is fully operational across all external border crossing points of the participating 29 European countries. It requires of travellers to use their biometric data to pass through borders into a Schengen-area country. The EU commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, says the system will make it harder for criminals, terrorists or spies to use fake passports.
European Union launches upgraded border security system