Several European capitals are pushing back against Brussels over the rollout of new post-Brexit border rules, citing significant difficulties that threaten to disrupt upcoming summer travel. Nine EU countries have written to European officials, expressing concerns that the bloc is not yet ready for the full implementation of the stringent new controls.
These nations are urging for further easing of the rules to prevent potential queues of five hours or more during the peak summer travel season and beyond. The signatories to the letter, dated July 7, include major powers like Germany and France, alongside countries with substantial tourism sectors: Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, and Portugal. They communicated their concerns to the EU's home affairs Commissioner, Magnus Brunner, highlighting "significant difficulties" with the implementation of the new Entry-Exit System (EES).
The easyJet boss, Kenton Jarvis, has joined this growing dissent, calling the border queues already experienced in recent weeks "completely unacceptable." He stated that the EES, which requires non-EU citizens to provide biometric data such as fingerprints and facial scans, is now responsible for over a third of delays on UK-EU flights. Jarvis warned that if the system cannot be managed effectively, its flexibilities should be extended beyond their September deadline.
"Border authorities must make full use of the permitted flexibilities now, and if this cannot be done effectively, the system must be reviewed and those flexibilities extended beyond their September cliff edge, to ensure our customers do not continue being disrupted," Jarvis said.
Bottlenecks have been particularly noted in Portugal, Malta, and Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands. The EES, implemented on April 10, requires biometric checks for non-EU citizens entering the Schengen zone. For air travel, this typically occurs after landing, while at ports like Dover and Folkestone, checks happen before crossing into France, potentially causing long queues.
Concerns have been raised that airports lack adequate infrastructure and staffing to handle the biometric registration process, leading to increased processing times. This has already resulted in incidents, such as approximately 100 passengers on an easyJet flight from Milan's Linate airport to Manchester being stranded in April due to three-hour queues.
While the EU Commission acknowledges the security benefits of the EES, including replacing paper-based checks with a modern registration system, efforts are reportedly underway to minimize the impact on travelers. However, proposals from countries like Greece, Portugal, and Italy to exempt Britons this summer have been previously rejected by Brussels.
The "Great Summer Getaway" is set to begin next weekend, as schools break for the holiday season, intensifying concerns about potential travel disruptions.