Brussels’ plan to make Britons have their fingerprints scanned and their photo taken when they enter the EU is likely to cause travel chaos for British holidaymakers, ministers fear.
British and non-EU passport holders will have to undergo fingerprint checks and facial scans under the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES). The system checks the name and biometric data of each passenger when they enter an EU country.
It will replace the stamping of passports that started after Brexit, when Britain became a ‘third country’ for the bloc – meaning it is not a member state and has no right to free movement within the EU.
French officials will carry out EES border checks at Dover for the Eurotunnel and at St Pancras International for the Eurostar.
Lord Cameron, James Cleverly and Mark Harper have all raised concerns about the new system with French ministers, noting that the changes could lead to travel chaos, Telegraph reports.
A senior government source familiar with discussions about the new checks told the Telegraph: “The biggest risk is that we are in the hands of the French in those places where there will be disruption on British soil.”
Lord Cameron, James Cleverly and Mark Harper have all raised concerns about the new system with French ministers, noting that the changes could lead to travel chaos, the Telegraph reports.
File image of queues at the Port of Dover – one of the locations where the new border controls will take place – on August 26, 2023
Rishi Sunak (right) was due to raise the EES plans during a phone call with Emmanuel Macron last month, but the two leaders ultimately moved on to other topics. But he did speak to Ursula von der Leyen (left), the president of the European Commission who hopes to be reappointed next month, about the new checks
Rishi Sunak was due to raise the EES plans during a phone call with Emmanuel Macron last month, but the two leaders ended up discussing other topics.
But the prime minister did speak to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission who hopes to be reappointed next month, about the new checks.
Some countries have previously expressed concerns about the amount of time the EES process will add to queues at EU borders, with the Slovenian government saying it will take ‘up to four times longer’.
In a report released last year, France’s public finance watchdog Cour des Comptes predicted that queues at the border between Britain and France will at least double when the EES is launched this autumn.
The Port of Dover, which regularly experiences long delays due to post-Brexit checks, said the new system could extend car inspections from 45 seconds to as long as ten minutes.
In January, Ashford City Council warned that the EES could lead to 14-hour queues at the port, with possible traffic jams along the A20 and M20.
Eurotunnel warned it could take up to six minutes longer to process each car boarding the train.
It will not apply to EU citizens, non-EU citizens who need a visa to enter the EU – as they would have already provided fingerprints with their visa application – and non-EU citizens living in EU countries live.
Despite the concerns, EES will be introduced on October 6 – just a few weeks before the school year and possibly in the middle of a general election campaign.
Every time visitors try to enter the continent, they must show a facial image and leave four fingerprints.
Personal details including first name, last name, date of birth, nationality, gender, travel document and three-letter country code are all required – except for children under 12 years of age.
Austria claims processing time would be ‘double compared to the current situation’, while Croatia warned that checks would ‘certainly take significantly longer’.
EES covers arrivals in all EU countries except Cyprus and Ireland. It is also adopted by Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Ryanair has warned about EES, saying it would ‘lead to significant duplication of effort’ due to the large number of people exempt.
One of the reasons for delaying its introduction was next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, with chiefs warning it could cause chaos for millions of passengers traveling to France.
But sources at the European Commission and the French government said there would be no further delays.
People queue for the Eurostar train services at St Pancras International station as they take their Easter holidays in London, Great Britain, March 29, 2024
Every time visitors try to enter the continent, they must show a facial image and leave four fingerprints
About six months after EES is introduced, the EU will introduce ETIAS – a visa waiver system similar to the US Esta. This costs €7 (£6) per person and is required for people entering the Schengen area.
The EU has dismissed concerns that ESS will cause chaos at borders, claiming it will actually save time.
It is clear that the concerns of British ministers center around two issues.
Firstly, they asked why an EU app that could make the process smoother and faster for traveling Brits – by allowing them to upload some of the new information they need from home – only came months after its introduction of the EES would be introduced.
They also asked that France station more guards at the border with Britain for the Eurostar, Eurotunnel and ferries so that checks can be carried out more efficiently.
Although companies have already made adjustments, for example at St Pancras International, where 49 additional kiosks have been installed in addition to an investment of €10 million, more border guards are needed to take fingerprint scans and photos.
This is an issue that Paris and London must resolve – and two ministers appearing before a House of Commons committee yesterday said cooperation between Britain and France on the forthcoming introduction of the checks was working well.