Atos Consortium Fumbles Rollout of EU Biometric Border System

Financial and technical problems are fueling concern about whether the bloc can revamp its approach to borders

The so-called Entry/Exit System is intended to radically change the EU’s approach to policing its borders.

Photographer: Andreas Arnold/dpa/AP
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In August, the EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson gave a rousing speech about a soon-to-launch “smart” border system that would track the movements of hundreds of millions of travelers in and out of the bloc using fingerprints and facial recognition.

“Soon, we will switch on the most modern digital border management system in the world,” said Johansson, announcing a Nov. 10 launch date for the so-called Entry/Exit System.