11 October 2024, 09:49
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The rollout of strict new EU border controls has been delayed amid fears of disruption at airports and ports with the technology yet to be tested.
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) was due to launch on November 10, but minutes of a European Council committee suggest the rollout will not happen as planned.
The new scheme will require all non-EU passengers at Dover to have fingerprint and facial recognition checks.
According to Logistics UK, this would interrupt the flow of goods and cause increased delays for holidaymakers by creating mile-long traffic jams.
Calculations suggest the Entry/Exit System (EES) could increase processing times for a car with a family of four from less than 60 seconds to seven minutes.
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The minutes of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held on Thursday said: “To ensure a smooth transition, the commission outlined plans to roll out the EES in a phased manner.
“The details of this approach will be established in the coming weeks.”
A senior source said: “Our understanding from the EC conference is that EES will now not launch on November 10. But we don’t have a new date as yet.”
Another source said the European Commission was now looking at an “ultra-soft launch” on a date later this year or in 2025.
The plans also appear to have been scaled back, with the commission saying “border officers will scan the fingerprints or take a photo of those crossing the border for the first time”.
It was previously outlined that both biometrics would be captured or checked on every visit.
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Alamy
Airlines and travel companies had expressed concern over the launch of the system because it is largely untested and could cause severe disruption.
The chief executive of EasyJet warned British travellers risked being held on planes after arriving at EU airports because of overcrowding in terminals due to the scheme.
Johan Lundgren called for the launch to be further delayed unless it is possible for travellers to pre-register before beginning their journeys.
There are also significant concerns about the Port of Dover and London’s St Pancras railway station, where French border checks are carried out before people make cross-Channel journeys.
Sites are being secured to hold tourist cars bound for the Port of Dover in the event of gridlock when the new controls come into force, The Times had reported.
Ashford borough council previously said passengers faced 15-hour gridlock when the system launched.
At the Port of Dover, officials intend to use tablet devices to capture the data from passengers in their cars but with less than a month until the original launch date, no testing of the system had taken place.