News

More than two hundred representatives of EU member states and agencies, non-EU states, international organizations, industry and research bodies gathered in Warsaw for the conference on Border Crossing - as easy as ABC on October 25-26. The event — co-organised by Frontex and the European Commission — was the first global conference examining topical themes in the fast-changing world of Automated Border Control (ABC) technology.

Much of the first day’s plenary session was devoted to e-passports and e-gates and their value to the travelling public, issues related to their practical application, global interoperability, the need for common standards and other forms of harmonisation, as well as to the challenges of security and usability. Speakers came from as far as Australia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand and Canada to share their experience and practices with a view to finding common solutions and ways forward.

The conference was very much a working meeting with groups discussing topical issues ranging from the technical details of interoperability and directions of new and future research to the challenges of harmonisation and practical cooperation. Attendees also discussed ways forward with a view to greater global cooperation and sharing of best practices and standards.

At the margins of the conference, Frontex Executive Director Ilkka Laitinen met with Mr. Eric.K.K.Chan, Director of the Immigration Department from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to exchange views on border technologies and practices.

Border Crossing — as easy as ABC was the first in a planned series of ABC-tailored events to bring end users and producers together with decision makers and industry bodies to facilitate exchange of knowledge.