by EU plans for tougher post-Brexit checks on holidaymakers coming into Europe from the UK have been delayed again – and the final plans have also been scaled back over fears of long queues at borders.
The new approach sees rules relating to one key element of the entry-exit system – biometrics, where officers would take fingerprints and a photograph of a traveller’s face.
Passengers were expected to undergo new Schengen Area border checks from 6 October. But The Independent He has learned that Sunday 10 November is the new launch date for the EES – with a “final” option to postpone it by a week to 17 November to ensure member states are ready.
The system has been pushed back several times, after it was originally due to launch in 2021. The November date has not been confirmed by the European Commission.
With the potential for travelers to be caught in queues at busy transport hubs, the scheme will now introduce a “relief valve”, meaning many people could be allowed biometric registration at crowded checkpoints – a fingerprint taken and a photograph of the face – on the first entry. This would significantly reduce delays.
Concerns have previously been expressed about how the border checks will work, with some EU member states that have modeled the effects on airport immigration queues estimating that each passenger could take up to four hours longer to be processed.
In January 2024, MPs were warned that Britons traveling to Europe could have to wait 14 hours or more at border control unless measures are introduced to prevent delays.
The latest delay for EES was due to concerns that not all nations are ready for the transition from manual to digital checks, as well as avoiding long passenger queues in the October half term from the UK.
Christian Wigand, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said: “The roadmap for the delivery of the new IT architecture provides that the entry-exit system will be ready for operation in Autumn 2024 and that ETIAS will be ready for operation in Spring. 2025.
“The exact date will be determined by the European Commission and will be announced on the EES official website in good time for the start of operations. At the moment we do not have a date to announce.”
British passport holders are the largest group of all to be affected by the entry-exit system, which was first developed before the Brexit vote.
Three locations in the UK have “combined” border controls, with checks carried out by French border police: Port Dover, the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal and the Eurostar hub at London St Pancras.
They were designed on the assumption that British passport holders would only be subject to “light touch” checks. But after the UK opted to be subject to the much more in-depth EES requirements, there were fears that these locations would face huge queues as travelers are fingerprinted and photographed.
But the initial impact is to be significantly reduced by easing the demand for biometric information collection.
In “exceptional circumstances”, which are not defined, as few as one in ten travelers could have their fingerprints and facial biometrics obtained.
Local immigration officials will determine the appropriate number of travelers subject to biometric registration, ranging from 10 to 100 percent.
The EES has two aims:
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Automate checks on entry and exit from the Schengen Area, which will detect overstays
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Improving border security by registering the fingerprints and facial biometrics of all legally crossing third-country nationals
Initially the plan was for a “big bang” approach. From day one, biometrics would be collected from all travelers arriving at any border of the Schengen Area for the first time (including Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and all EU nations except Cyprus and Ireland).
But that claim will be fudged – perhaps for up to 18 months.
Speaking to The Independent on July 11, Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said there was an “element of precautionary measures” involved in the launch of EES.
“They will be able to dial down the amount of intervention for registration if the queue is excessive. That will be available for all gateways into the European Union.
“How exactly will it work? We are still working through that with our colleagues in France and the European Union. But that will be an important relief valve when the process is introduced for the first time.”
Transport operators from ferry firms to airlines lobbied Brussels over the entry-exit system, calling for “urgent action” on a number of outstanding issues.
In particular, they suggest that biometric data could be collected gradually during a transition period of 12 to 18 months. They also say that a “strong public communication campaign” is essential.
“The lack of these measures will seriously degrade the passenger experience and carrier operations,” they told EU officials.
After a traveler has initially enrolled a fingerprint and facial biometric, only one of these will be required for subsequent visits – most likely the facial biometric.
Once the entry-exit system is in place, plans will be put forward for the Electronic Travel Information and Authorization System (Etias).
This is an online “eurovisa” similar to the US Esta scheme. British passport holders will need to register online before visiting and pay €7 (£6).
Again, the UK was involved in the initial proposals and then negotiated the implementation of the Etias system for British travellers.
