FBTA

Founded in 1984, the Finnish Business Travel Association is an organization for business travel buyers and suppliers, with the mission to enhance the understanding, knowledge and skills required in corporate travel and meetings management as well as procurement.

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EES to be gradually rolled out in EU countries from 12.10.2025

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EU Entry/Exit System Entry/Exit System (EES) It will be gradually introduced in EU countries from 12.10.2025. The Entry/Exit System is a new tool for managing Europe's borders. The system will provide authorities with information about citizens from non-EU countries entering and staying within the territory of the Member States. It is part of a comprehensive effort by the EU to strengthen the control of Schengen external borders and enhance internal security within the EU.

The use of EES will be gradually introduced at border checks with a six-month transition period. This will give authorities, the tourism industry, and travellers time to adapt to the changes. The Border Guard will communicate separately about the impact of the introduction of the border crossing information system on travellers.

In addition to the Entry/Exit System (EES), the EU's Smart Borders package includes the EU common travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS = European Travel Information and Authorisation System), which is equivalent to travellers’ pre-registration systems used around the world. The ETIAS system is intended to be implemented during 2026.

Links:
https://intermin.fi/rajaturvallisuus/alykkaat-rajat
https://raja.fi/alykkaat-rajat
https://raja.fi/ees
https://raja.fi/etias

GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge

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The GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge 2025 is now open. What's it all about?

The GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge aims to enable organisations of all sizes and across the globe to launch, advance, and accelerate their emission-reducing business travel practices. The challenge provides travel managers and those responsible for sourcing business travel services with the tools to take the necessary actions on the journey towards net zero by 2050.

By participating in the challenge, you can compare your sustainable development practices with other industry players and create models for development.

You assess your company's starting situation by answering a confidential survey, which is free of charge. The survey is open until 23 September.. Once it has closed and the results are ready, your company will receive a tailored report that includes your company's score and its performance compared to industry averages.

Read more and join the global challenge here!

The European travel authorisation ETIAS will cost EUR 20

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EU: The Commission has announced a new fee for non-EU travellers who do not need a visa to enter 30 European countries. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) fee will be EUR 20 instead of the previous EUR 7. This increase aims to cover the operational costs of ETIAS, taking into account all its functionalities and inflation rates, and align the EU fee to the ones of other countries that have similar travel authorisation programmes.

The ETIAS system will start operations at the end of 2026.
Read the full article here.

Scam sites a growing nuisance when applying for ETA and ESTA authorisations

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The use of ETA and ESTA travel forms by scam websites is on the rise.

Scam websites using ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) and ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) travel forms have been reported to the Cybersecurity Centre of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. Victims have suffered financial loss and personal data has fallen into the wrong hands.
The full article published in Ikkunapaika on 17.6. is available in here.

Spring meeting report 24.4.2025

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The Finnish Business Travel Association FBTA gathered 70 of its activists for its Spring Meeting on 24 April in the renovated premises of the Scandic Simonkenttä Hotel in Helsinki. The meeting day started with separate group meetings for both buyer and partner members. In the afternoon, both the seminar programme and the statutory part of the meeting took place..

Eero Havia's report on the Spring meeting is available in full here.