Greece, Italy and Portugal are among nine European countries reportedly being given flexibility to delay full enforcement of the EU’s Entry-Exit System (EES) while the technology and border-processing systems are brought up to standard.
The EES applies to UK travellers because, since Brexit, the UK is treated as a non-EU country for border purposes. It requires travellers entering the Schengen Area to register biometric information, including a facial image and fingerprints. The system has already experienced problems including malfunctioning kiosks, long queues, slow processing and staff shortages.
Flexibility Remains For Nine Countries
The reported flexibility means countries including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland may be able to pause or adjust implementation where necessary, particularly at busy border crossings, to prevent serious delays.
The European Commission maintains that EES has broadly worked well, but has acknowledged that adjustments may be necessary. The travel industry, including ABTA, has been calling for greater flexibility after a difficult summer of implementation. The concern is also wider than EES itself: the EU’s planned ETIAS travel authorisation system depends on EES working properly and could face further complications if the underlying border system remains unreliable.
