Britons traveling to France could have to wait up to 14 hours at the border at the port of Dover because of a new system for controlling entry and exit from the EU, a committee worried on Thursday January 25 British parliamentarian.
From the end of 2024, third-country nationals entering the European Union will be subject to an automated entry and exit control system (Entry/Exit System, EES).
This centralized database will include the date and place of entry and exit, or refusal of entry, facial photographs and fingerprints of the traveler.
But the European Monitoring Committee in the British Parliament warned on Thursday of the delays that the EES could cause at the borders.
“Queues of more than 14 hours, vehicles blocked along major roads, businesses deprived of traffic: these elements paint an alarming picture of the potential risks linked to the implementation of the EES”
, s worries William Cash, the chairman of this Committee.
Training effect
“I implore decision-makers on both sides of the Channel to take note of these elements
,” he said, quoted in a press release.
The EES
“is to be implemented in October;
time is running out
,” he adds.
In particular, the Committee heard from Ashford Town Council (South of England) that the new system could cause delays of up to 14 hours at the port of Dover.
Disruption at the port could have a ripple effect throughout the region, warns this local council, which fears that long queues on main roads will block access for staff and travelers to Eurotunnel in Folkestone.
According to Eurostar, cited in the committee's press release, the new system, which will represent
"a unique challenge"
, was designed for airports rather than for terminals located in city centers or subject to space constraints.
Terminals could thus
“experience queues of more than an hour during peak hours”
, according to Eurostar.
High Speed 1, which operates the high-speed Eurostar rail line to the Channel Tunnel, is calling for the system to be phased in to avoid “
serious disruption”
.