Europe counting down to d8k8 8k8 com loginigital border

The European Union's new digital border registration system for United Kingdom passport holders and other non-EU travelers is expected to launch in October next year, prompting fears of delays at entry points.

Under the new Entry-Exit System, or EES, passengers will need to have their fingerprints registered and facial scans taken, with data retained for three years after each trip.

Estimates from the owner of the UK-France Eurotunnel, Getlink, indicate that the average processing time for cars at the French border will increase to between five and seven minutes, raising concerns about potential bottlenecks at the Port of Dover in England and at the Eurostar terminal in London, reported The Times newspaper.

The EES is being implemented to strengthen border security and detect individuals who exceed the allowed duration of stay in the Schengen Area, which is 90 days within a 180-day period, according to the EU.

It will be applicable for entry into all EU member states, excluding Cyprus and Ireland, in addition to four non-EU countries that are within the Schengen Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

The launch of the new system has been delayed from its original May 2024 timeframe because of technical issues, and now, according to Getlink, the provisional start date is Oct 6.

The rollout of the system was pushed back partly due to concerns about potential disruptions to travel during the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, reported The Guardian newspaper.

There are concerns about problems with implementing the EES if it is launched in a single "big bang "moment, reported The Independent online newspaper.

Airline Ryanair stated: "It is not yet possible to properly test changes to our systems due to delays in providing test environments, and many aspects of the system requirements either have not been specified or are simply not clear to us.

"This makes meeting the requirements very difficult, regardless of the repeated delays in the implementation date. Overall, this whole project has been delayed multiple times and has been poorly managed."

The European Commission spokesperson for justice, equality and rule of law, Christian Wigand, told The Independent: "Member states should be ready by end of July 2024, after which the exact start date will be published."