Security and IT infrastructure at Malta international airport is to be upgraded, in a €13.6m project intended to tighten controls and data-sharing at Malta’s external borders.
The upgrade plans were announced by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and parliamentary secretary for EU funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi during a press conference on Friday.
“Malta’s borders are some of the most frequently crossed in the EU, so it is essential that our frontier management systems are up to scratch, both for the sake of our national security as well as the safety of the EU,” Camilleri said.
Azzopardi broke down some of the larger expenses that make up the hefty €13.6m price tag that the envisioned upgrade carries.
Parliamentary secretary for EU funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli€3.4m of that sum will be spent on an EU travel information authorization system (ETIAS) – an electronic tracking system which, according to official EU information, allows border control to identify and keep track of non-EU travellers who do not need a visa to enter Schengen countries, such as Malta.
Azzopardi described the ETIAS system as one that “stores information on visitors and enhances border control’s ability to detect traveller identification, and monitor for passport issues or third-country nationals who lack valid permits”.
The EU will be launching ETIAS in January 2021, with member states obliged to introduce it by the end of 2022.
Azzopardi also briefly explained the Schengen Information System (SIS), a €1.2m platform that enhances data sharing abilities across EU member states and makes it easier to flag terrorism threats.
Another €2.6m has been earmarked for the general improvement of the IT infrastructure of the national security framework, in order to handle transfers of massive volumes of passenger data.
The remaining €6.4m in funding will be used to develop an Entry/Exit system to complement the ETIAS.
The EES will register travellers from non-EU countries each time they cross an EU external border, with the aim of strengthening border control of member states within the Schengen area.
Camilleri also said the new and improved systems would allow authorities to check the validity of travel documents, see how many days a passenger has left on their temporary visa and send out alerts for people who are reported missing.
"Through this investment in Malta’s border as well as the borders of other countries, we will be preserving the right balance between responses required within local security and the needs of people who need to cross a border," he said.
“As a government, we are committed to protecting people’s liberty to travel from one place to another whilst also safeguarding the common good,” he added.