Relief for Brit tourists as EU plan to fingerprint travellers at the border is delayed indefinitely amid fears scheme would spark travel chaos
- EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) has been thrice delayed with no new date in sight
A European Union scheme to impose new border controls on non-EU nationals has been shelved indefinitely, saving British holidaymakers from an ordeal that many feared would trigger chaos at airports and border checkpoints.
The EU confirmed yesterday that the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), originally set to roll out on November 10, had been placed on hold as key members of the bloc - namely France, Germany and the Netherlands - were not ready to implement it.
The EES intends to do away with passport checks and stamps, replacing the current system with a slew of biometric tests that would require non-EU passport holders, including Brits, to submit fingerprints and facial scans at their first point of entry into the Schengen Zone.
Each subsequent visit would have triggered a fresh biometric check, a scheme that many feared would turn visits to the continent into a severe logistical headache.
But after a meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg, Brussels announced that the launch date is 'no longer on the table' - with no new schedule in sight.
This marks the third time the EES has been postponed - and unlike previous delays, this one comes with no promises of a new timeline.
Each time visitors try to cross into the continent, they will have to show a facial image and provide four fingerprints under the EES
File image of queues at the Port of Dover - one of the locations where the new border checks will be in place - on August 26, 2023
A sign alerts travellers arriving at the Port of Dover on the south-east coast of England on July 31, 2024, of the construction works underway to facilitate the new European Union Entry Exit System, due to open in late 2024
First agreed on in 2017, the automated system was set to replace manual passport stamping and automatically record visitors' date of entry and exit.
This, it is argued, would help authorities to keep track of overstays and refused entries, and crack down on illegal migration.
But news of the scheme raised fears of queues and longer waiting times for people travelling to Europe on trains, ferries and planes, with Brussels ultimately forced to reconsider its original launch date last year amid warnings that border crossings would be snarled if the system launched too abruptly without the requisite infrastructure in place.
A British parliamentary committee earlier this year said some British passengers could initially expect delays of up to 14 hours, prompting harsh criticism of the scheme from this side of the Channel.
Calls to implement the EES early this year were denied by France amid fears that two major sporting events - the Rugby World Cup and the Paris Olympics - would be disrupted, and so the launch date was rescheduled for October 6, then again on November 10.
The delay in rolling out the EES may be seen as a win for British travellers, but proponents of the scheme say the move exposes deeper cracks within the EU.
Germany, France, and the Netherlands, which between them handle a hefty 40 per cent of all non-EU traffic into the bloc, have struggled to install the IT infrastructure needed to implement the complicated new system.
Ylva Johansson, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, hinted at a phased introduction to avoid a border meltdown.
'The 10th of November is no longer on the table,' she noted, implying a slow rollout rather than a sudden Big Bang across all entry points.
'I hope that we can start as soon as possible, but there's no new timeline so far,' she told journalists after a meeting of the bloc's interior ministers in Luxembourg.
The commission favoured a new phased approach, with the new system initially implemented at some border crossings only, but this depended on a new legal assessment, she said.
Concerns had been raised too over the 'resilience of the system', she added.
People queue for Eurostar train services at St Pancras International station as they make their Easter getaway in London, Britain, 29 March 2024
Work is carried out on the installation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) at the Port of Dover
The travel industry in the UK has been quick to hail the pause as a chance to sidestep the border bottlenecks that many feared.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership, acknowledged the confusion caused by repeated delays but welcomed the extra breathing space to prepare.
'The confirmed delay by the EU of the infamous EES launch will inevitably give the travel industry a huge sigh of relief as there was significant concern at the preparedness throughout the EU bloc that would inevitably have caused delay and setbacks for so many,' she told The Telegraph.
Airlines chiefs were also said to have been extremely nervous ahead of the planned rollout of the EES.
EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren warned that the new rules could leave British tourists stranded on planes, unable to disembark into packed EU terminals if the system was not guaranteed to function efficiently.
He called on the officials tasked with implementing the EES to develop a pre-registration system that would help frequent travellers to quickly pass the checks and facilitate speeding up the process.
A mobile-app to support pre-registration is currently under development, according to The Times.
Meanwhile in Britain, authorities are quietly bracing for the eventual change.
The Department for Transport has earmarked £10.5 million for upgrades at key ports like Dover and London's St Pancras, where French border checks are carried out.
