EU's digital travel document plan faces backlash

Source: Schengen Visa Info

The Commission of the European Union has officially launched a public consultation on the digitalization of travel documents and facilitation of travel, which requires EU citizens to share their opinions on the matter.

According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, this initiative aims to establish a uniform standard for digital travel documents used in the Schengen Area so that EU citizens can travel under facilitated rules.

“We want to contribute to smooth travel across EU borders. That’s why we are launching a public consultation on the digitalization of travel documents and the facilitation of travel. The contributions will help establish a uniform standard in the Schengen area,” the EU Commission wrote on its official Twitter account.

The Commission has emphasized that digital travel documents – such as digital passports and identity cards – can support international travel, facilitate border checks, and are faster to issue than those in physical format.

The consultation to gather views on how this initiative could contribute to smooth travel and the overall security of the Union will be open until June 28, 2023, and all EU citizens can share their opinions online.

However, the majority of those who have given feedback on the matter so far have said that they do not support the initiative. Many have said that they do not want to live in a ‘matrix’ and stressed that the current documents allow them to travel without any inconvenience.

While the EU believes that the digitalization of travel documents is important and highly beneficial, there are concerns about making it an obligatory requirement. Some EU citizens believe that all citizens should have the right to choose whether they want digital or physical travel documents.

The EU website has already received hundreds of responses, and many have suggested that they would not feel safe with their data being shared into different systems.

All EU citizens will be able to provide their feedback on the initiative for another two months, and once the consultation is over, the Commission is expected to make a decision.