Illegal immigration and illicit material detection is a growing concern at the European borders; in that respect border security checkpoints must be particularly efficient against any kind of threat. If airport checkpoints controls are today technically improving, land and seaport checkpoints differ strongly from airports ones and are more complex to process. During the last years, most of the efforts were devoted to develop new solutions addressing new security challenges in airports. We can expect that very shortly authorities will have to guarantee the same level of security controls for all types of borders. The global objective of EFFISEC, a mission oriented project, is to deliver to border authorities more efficient technological equipment:

• providing higher security level of identity and luggage control of pedestrians and passengers inside vehicles, at land and maritime checkpoints,
• while maintaining or improving the flow of people crossing borders,
• and improving work conditions of border inspectors, with more powerful capabilities, less repetitive tasks, and more ergonomic equipment.

EFFISEC will provide border officers with up-to-dated technologies:

• allowing systematic in depth controls of travellers, luggage and vehicles, for pedestrians and people inside vehicles, through the use of automatic gates and portable identity check and scanning equipment,
• providing objective criteria for submitting some travellers/vehicles/luggage to an extensive check in specific lanes.

Based on a detailed analysis of the operational requirements (including ergonomics, security and legal issues) for all types of borders, EFFISEC will focus on four technical key issues: documents and identity check, detection of illicit substances, video surveillance and secured communications. The technology proposed will be demonstrated for pedestrians, and travellers using cars and buses; standardisation aspects will be considered and results disseminated.