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The 80th meeting of the EES-ETIAS Advisory Group took place this week at eu-LISA Headquarters in Tallinn and online, marking an important milestone just days before the Entry/Exit System (EES) enters into operation on 12 October 2025. This was the final EES AG meeting ahead of the system’s go-live.
In line with the eu-LISA Regulation, the Agency chairs Advisory Groups during system development. Once a system enters into operation, chairmanship passes to the Member States. Accordingly, the AG elected Mr Paul Sturm (NL) as Chairperson and Mr Souheil Abdallah (FR) as Deputy Chairperson. The group expressed its appreciation to Mr Theofanis Syrigos for his commitment and leadership in steering the AG through the development phase and ensuring operational readiness.
The meeting confirmed that all Member States are technically ready to connect to EES. Discussions focused on final operational roll-out, preparations and communication ahead of go-live.
ETIAS preparations progress towards 2026
For ETIAS, the AG reviewed ongoing compliance testing, the implementation of the Screening Regulation and the state of preparations at central, national and Agency level. eu-LISA will continue chairing until ETIAS enters into operation in 2026. From November 2025, the ETIAS AG will be chaired by the current Vice-Chair, Mrs Athanasia Papavasileiou.
