Securing Europe’s Borders in an Era of Rising Complexity

5th August 2025 NeilWalker

From irregular migration to cross-border crime, Europe’s borders are under mounting pressure. Shifting geopolitical tensions, climate-driven displacement, and the increasing sophistication of criminal networks are challenging the ability of national authorities to protect the Schengen Area while upholding the free movement that defines it.

In recent years, the task of border management has evolved far beyond passport stamping. Authorities must now strike a delicate balance between tightening security and maintaining fluidity at entry and exit points. They are expected to screen growing volumes of travelers, process biometric data in real time, and detect threats before they materialize without creating bottlenecks or compromising personal privacy.

At the same time, the EU’s border control systems must adapt to new regulatory frameworks, including the upcoming Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). These introduce added complexity, demanding high levels of interoperability, automation, and resilience across member states’ border infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, projects like SafeTravellers and EINSTEIN are shaping the future of border control. Funded under the EU’s Horizon Europe framework, they explore how cutting-edge technology—from advanced biometrics to AI and privacy-by-design systems—can help secure borders while ensuring a seamless and trustworthy experience for travelers.

Exposing new threats and closing the gaps
One of the core motivations behind SafeTravellers is the growing threat of identity and document fraud. Criminal organizations have developed increasingly sophisticated methods—including biometric manipulation, morphing attacks, and document forgery—to evade detection at border controls. These techniques are used to facilitate transnational crime, from illegal migration and human trafficking to terrorism.

SafeTravellers seeks to close these security gaps while safeguarding individual rights. Its mission is twofold: to detect and prevent fraud at borders using advanced biometric and analytical tools, and to give travelers greater control over their personal data. This dual emphasis on security and privacy represents a shift from traditional border control models toward more citizen-centric, trust-based systems.

Backed by a consortium of 23 organizations from 14 countries, SafeTravellers is also a model of European cooperation. Its multi-stakeholder structure includes research institutions, public agencies, and industry leaders, each contributing expertise to modernize how borders are managed and secured.

Technologies behind SafeTravellers
The innovations at the heart of SafeTravellers are designed to enhance both security and user experience. By decentralizing identity management, the project allows travelers to store a digital version of their identity in a secure mobile wallet, giving them the ability to preregister and control what data is shared at the border. This system complies with current and forthcoming regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the EU AI Act.

SafeTravellers integrates a wide range of cutting-edge technologies:

Self-Sovereign Identity and mobile passports: Enabling secure, user-controlled digital identity.
European multibiometric data space: Creating a unified biometric framework for cross-border checks.
Multimodal biometric fusion: Combining facial and fingerprint recognition for increased accuracy.
Threat intelligence and unusual event detection: Using AI to identify suspicious patterns in real time.
Explainable AI recommendation engine: Supporting transparency in decision making at the border.
Advanced fraud detection: Tackling forged documents, biometric morphing, and look-alike fraud.
Sensor tampering and interception defenses: Reinforcing the integrity of biometric systems.
Frictionless ID verification: Offering seamless identity checks for both EU citizens and Third-Country Nationals (TCNs).

SafeTravellers is more than a technical project—it is a strategic initiative to align Europe’s border security with its values of privacy, fairness, and efficiency. By delivering tools that both enhance detection and respect civil liberties, the project sets a precedent for how next-generation border systems can work in practice.

For travelers, the outcome could mean faster border crossings, fewer manual checks, and greater trust in how their data is used. For border agencies, it promises better detection rates, improved workflows, and greater compliance with evolving legal frameworks.

With its strong foundation of cross-border collaboration and a privacy-first approach, SafeTravellers is paving the way for a more secure and seamless travel experience across Europe. For more information, please refer to safetravellers-project.eu.

IDEMIA Public Security: Bringing innovation to the front line
As a global leader in identity and security technologies, IDEMIA Public Security is playing a central role in the SafeTravellers project. The company’s expertise spans biometric authentication, document verification, and AI-powered fraud detection—key capabilities for future-proofing Europe’s borders.

In France, IDEMIA Public Security’s research team is developing document classification and authentication tools that can identify travel documents based on country and model. One persistent challenge is glare—light reflections on glossy passports or ID cards captured via smartphone can obstruct key features. IDEMIA Public Security is working on new capture and image enhancement techniques to reduce glare and improve Optical Character Recognition results.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the focus is on fighting look-alike fraud and disguise-based deception. IDEMIA Public Security researchers are training AI models to detect facial anomalies and differentiate between legitimate travelers and those attempting to alter their appearance to bypass controls. These tools are expected to strengthen border officers’ ability to spot impostors and prevent identity fraud.

In addition to these national contributions, IDEMIA Public Security is also co-developing an integrated software platform with SafeTravellers partners. The solution will include mobile apps for travelers and border agents, as well as fixed installations for eGates and kiosks. A working prototype is already underway, and a pilot phase is planned to evaluate real-world performance.

Bringing border innovation to life: The EINSTEIN project
While many promising security technologies are developed in research labs across Europe, few ever make it to operational deployment. The EINSTEIN project, along with SafeTravellers, is the exception. Launched in early 2024, it aims to fast-track high-potential solutions into the hands of border guards and frontline officials. Its mission is both technical and strategic: to boost identity and document fraud detection while ensuring these new capabilities can be integrated across Europe’s diverse border ecosystems.

Led by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas in Greece, EINSTEIN brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of 21 partners from 11 European countries—spanning public authorities, research institutions, and private sector organizations. The project is not just about building prototypes but also delivering operational capabilities that can support EU priorities like EES, ETIAS, and the adoption of Digital Travel Credentials.

Innovation in EINSTEIN
Over a three-year course, the project will provide a suite of six interconnected applications:

Online document issuance: A web application which provides the eGovernment service for a citizen to apply online for a first time or renewal of a document (e.g., travel, identity), with the main innovation to detect and prevent fraudulent enrollment of biometrics uploaded by the applicant.
Mobile document and identity checks: An application, available on smart devices, which will be able to scan ID documents and determine if the document is likely to be fraudulent or not.
Document authentication: An application supporting document experts from immigration services and border authorities to authenticate travel, identity, and breeder documents.
Preregistration for border crossings: An application to permit travelers to preregister for (land) border crossings to enable enhanced security checks and an overall improved border crossing experience for travelers and border guards.
EES kiosk with advanced fraud detection: Development of a kiosk application to expedite entry of TCNs’ biometric and biographical data and to efficiently conduct fraud checks.
Fast-track biometric corridor: An application which allows the identity verification of travelers at a border without the traveler having to stop, supporting a smoother experience for both travelers and border guards.

Each application is being tested in real-life border scenarios across multiple EU countries, targeting Technology Readiness Level 7 or higher to ensure operational readiness.

EINSTEIN emphasizes modularity and interoperability, with all applications designed to plug into existing systems. Whether at a southern European airport or a northern land border, tools developed under EINSTEIN are built to scale and comply with regulations like GDPR and the forthcoming AI Act. For more information, please refer to einstein-horizon.eu.

IDEMIA Public Security in EINSTEIN
As a key partner in the EINSTEIN project, IDEMIA Public Security is contributing its expertise in biometric and document authentication technologies. This includes developing an advanced biometric kiosk with AI-powered fraud detection, as well as researching methods to authenticate security features in identity documents that are often overlooked.

A critical area of focus is morphing attack detection—identifying subtle manipulations in facial images designed to bypass identity verification. IDEMIA is developing algorithms capable of flagging potential morphing attempts in real time, while ensuring biometric data is deleted immediately after analysis, in line with data protection regulations.

The company is also helping develop mobile-based preregistration solutions, enabling travelers to securely submit identity information ahead of time to streamline passenger flows at border crossings.

Joint benefits and shared vision
SafeTravellers and EINSTEIN share a common goal: building a future where Europe’s borders are secure, efficient, and respectful of individual privacy. Together, the projects aim to:

Strengthen identity and document fraud detection
Improve the traveler experience through faster, more seamless processes
Equip border authorities with real-time tools for fraud detection and risk analysis
Ensure compliance with evolving EU regulations and privacy standards
Promote interoperability and scalable solutions across the Schengen area

For travelers, this means quicker border crossings, fewer manual checks, and greater transparency in how their data is handled. For border agencies, it means improved detection rates, streamlined operations, and the ability to adopt new technologies without compromising on legal or privacy obligations.

The EINSTEIN project is funded by the European Union (EU) under G.A. no. 101121280 and UKRI Funding Service under IFS reference 10093453. The SafeTravellers project is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement N° 101121269. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU/Executive Agency or UKRI. Neither the EU nor the granting authority nor UKRI can be held responsible for them.

SafeTravellers Project – https://safetravellers-project.eu/

EINSTEIN Project : posts | LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/einstein-horizon/posts/?feedView=all

By IDEMIA Public Security