EU BIOMETRIC BORDER RULES ARE DELAYED AGAIN
- The EES system was previously scheduled by Brussels to go live in 2022
Brussels looks set to yet again delay new border rules for British travellers visiting the European Union.
The new 'entry-exit' system (EES) will require holidaymakers to undergo biometric checks, meaning there could be huge tailbacks at ports such as Dover, the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar terminal if new infrastructure fails to cope with the requirements.
It is due to launch in October this year but industry sources believe it will be postponed until at least 2025 amid delays to the development of an app to smooth the process.
The EES system was previously scheduled by Brussels to go live in 2022 but has already been delayed three times.
As it stands, tourists from non-EU countries like Britain who drive through ports to the Continent and don't need visas can simply have their passports assessed and stamped by border guards, keeping traffic flowing smoothly.
But the new system will require Britons to give their fingerprints and have their photo taken as a condition of entry.
It threatens to cause huge tailbacks at ports such as Dover because no technology currently exists which can scan the face, passport and fingerprints of each passenger while remaining in their vehicle.
Dover plans to station an agent with a tablet next to every car door in the queue to cross the Channel in order to speed up the process and deal with inevitable glitches and questions, the port's CEO Doug Bannister revealed yesterday.
But it means the extra cost of hiring dozens more staff could be passed onto millions of passengers in the form of higher fares. And there would likely be huge tailbacks in the event the system isn't as smooth as envisaged.
However, industry sources yesterday said that they didn't believe the European Union would press ahead with the latest October 2024 date for launching the system.
This is because every airport and port in Europe will need to be ready to make the system go live and there are understood to be snags during testing in some countries, with the new infrastructure required not yet installed everywhere.
They said they thought it was unlikely that the European Commission would green-light the system until everyone was ready.
There are also delays to the development of an app which would allow British passengers to register their biometric details before travel, potentially smoothing the process.
For air travellers, Britons will be required to give their biometric data upon landing in Europe as that's where the border is. It means airports in Europe will bear the brunt of the cost and responsibility for implementing new infrastructure to administer it.
However, at ports like Dover, the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar, the French border is in the UK and so these hubs will be required to foot the bill.
The EES system will apply when entering 25 EU countries and four non-EU countries that are part of the bloc's border-free Schengen area.
The system will apply to all nationals of countries that are not in the EU or Schengen when travelling to the 29 countries.
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