>Non-EU nationals, including international visitors, comprising both visa holders and visa-exempt travellers, will be required to register their fingerprints and facial images when crossing external EU borders

I wonder if this was done due to the requirements the US put in due to the Patriot Act and requirements put in this year.

I remember arriving in Ireland for the first time in the 80s, no one was at customs. I asked a Janitor where I should go to "check-in", he was confused and point to the door to the outside saying "you can just go".

How times have changed.

You don't "check in" at customs unless you have something to declare anywhere I have been to including the US.

Also, this article is about about passport control not customs.

I thought there would be someone to check my passport. The whole airport was empty. You hop off the pane and you are in Ireland. It was like driving to another US State, you just go.

I thought that was odd, going to other countries back then, someone would always stop me and check my passport.

Its incredible to see that was once possible.

What for, given the extradition processes range from faulty to nonexistent?

The only thing European extradition processes do efficiently is fuelling local extremists and inflaming neighborly conflicts.

You don't need any checks when you travel from Africa.