The entry into force of a new system for controlling entry and exit from the European Union (EU) worries the Mayor of London.
Sadiq Khan fears “chaos” predicted at St. Pancras station where the Eurostar arrives, which would send a “terrible signal” to the world, he said in a press release.
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 photographs of the traveler's face and fingerprints.
New post-Brexit checks will cause significant disruption for Eurostar passengers at St Pancras.
Ministers must offer HS1 and Eurostar all the support they need to resolve these issues as a matter of urgency.https://t.co/X6B6yhGeaf
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) February 10, 2024
“As things stand, these new post-Brexit controls will cause chaos at St Pancras, with reductions in services and potentially huge queues for passengers at peak times,” he said. Labor Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in a statement.
Last month, a British parliamentary committee warned of the significant delays, up to 14 hours according to them, that the EES could cause at the borders.
And in particular at London's St. Pancras station where Eurostar trains arrive, an essential rail link for the capital.
Eurostar's concern
Sadiq Khan calls on the government not to “wash its hands” of this “direct consequence of Brexit”, which would send “a terrible signal to tourists and businesses around the world”, while the London economy is barely recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Eurostar railway company, as well as High Speed 1 (HS1), the company which operates the railway line which connects London to the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, have also expressed their concerns.
Eurostar considered that the new system had been designed more for airports than for station terminals.
Also read “We had been preparing this project for months”: Gare du Nord, a New Year spoiled by the Eurostar stoppage
London City Hall argues that St. Pancras station will only have 24 control counters for the EES, allocated by the French government, "while modeling suggests that nearly 50 would be needed during peak hours ".
“Ministers must now give HS1 and Eurostar all the support they need to urgently address these issues.
Service reductions and longer delays are simply not an option,” insisted Sadiq Khan.