Burnham urged to directly lobby EU leaders to waive EES border controls
UK politician Andy Burnham is called on to approach EU leaders to suspend the new Entry/Exit System (EES), which is causing delays at airports and ports during the peak summer holiday travel period.
As the busiest weekend for overseas holidays begins, with around 2.2 million British holidaymakers expected to travel abroad, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller has urged Andy Burnham to personally lobby EU leaders to suspend the Entry/Exit System (EES) until at least September.
The EES, which requires non-EU citizens to register, be photographed and fingerprinted upon arrival, has been fully operational since April. Border police are allowed to relax requirements during extreme delays, but some passengers have already missed flights, while others have queued for several hours.
Miller stated that “holidaymakers and hauliers should not be punished by a bungled, malfunctioning border system” and that Burnham should call every European leader to collectively suspend the EES until September. He also attributed the problems to a “disastrous Brexit deal” putting millions of Britons at risk of ruined holidays.
Travel association Abta reported that Spain is the top destination this weekend, followed by Greece, Portugal, Italy and Turkey. Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer advised passengers to allow extra time, as many will experience the EES for the first time.
Greece has already indicated it will not impose additional biometric checks on UK nationals, while France faces technology issues with automated booths. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has met with EU commissioners and her French counterpart to raise concerns. A government spokesperson said that everything possible is being done to help travellers, including funding for EES facilities and traffic management at the Port of Dover.
French border police have decided not to fingerprint or photograph car travellers at ferry ports and the Eurotunnel, so traffic has been smooth so far. The Port of Dover expects its busiest days on Friday and Saturday, with over 10,000 cars, but queuing times have not exceeded 40 minutes.
EasyJet urged the EU on Thursday to extend flexibility and suspend the EES until the end of October.
