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The introduction of the EU’s new Entry-Exit System (EES), which will implement fingerprint and facial recognition checks for non-EU travellers at ports and airports, is expected to be delayed once again.

 

After several setbacks already. the system was scheduled to go live on November 10, 2024, but key countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, have expressed concerns over their readiness and the potential for severe congestion at major entry points.

 

Ylva Johansson, the EU’s home affairs commissioner, had set the November 10 launch date for the EES, with a possible one-week contingency, meaning it could be delayed to November 17. However, concerns raised by France, Germany and the Netherlands about the system’s lack of live testing have led to doubts over whether even this date is feasible.

 

These countries have warned of potential travel disruptions and long queues at busy ports and airports, such as France’s Port of Dover, Germany’s Frankfurt Airport and the Netherlands’ Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest travel hubs.

 

Sources close to the situation consulted by The Guardian indicate the introduction of the system could be pushed back for the third time. The EES was originally set to be launched in the summer of 2023 but has already been postponed twice – once to avoid disruptions during last autumn’s Rugby World Cup in France and again this year to prevent congestion during the summer school holidays.

 

The EES will require non-EU citizens entering the Schengen Area to undergo biometric checks, including fingerprinting and facial recognition, the first time they arrive. Subsequent entries will involve electronic verification of the stored biometric data.

 

The goal is to enhance security and streamline border checks for non-EU travellers, with the subsequent aim of introducing a visa waiver scheme known as ETIAS, but several countries are still unprepared to manage the increased demands on infrastructure.

 

One possible solution proposed by some officials is a phased approach to the system’s introduction that could involve implementing the basic entry-exit process, while delaying the more time-consuming fingerprint checks until the infrastructure and capacity are better prepared.

 

The launch of the ETIAS, which will mean non-resident non-EU travellers to the Schengen zone have to pay to enter, is reliant on the EES being fully in place, so any delay could mean the introduction of the ETIAS is also pushed back further.