Queues Build Up At Dover (Image: Getty)
France and Germany have urged the European Union to delay new border controls due to be introduced in November amid warnings the system will cause chaos.
The UK fears long delays at Dover, Folkestone and Eurostar services at St Pancras when the EU’s biometric border checks are introduced.
France, Germany and the Netherlands have now called on the European Commission to delay a planned launch on November 10 because computer systems will not be ready in time.
The new EU Entry Exit System will replace traditional passport checks, with travellers entering most EU countries required to scan their documents at a self-service kiosk instead. They will register their fingerprints, provide a facial scan and answer questions about their stay, and their details will be checked against a database once they leave.
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Trade bodies representing airlines and airports have warned passengers will face “widespread disruption”. Olivier Jankovec, head of airports trade group ACI Europe, said: “Launching the system without having fully tested it is a huge risk.”
Germany’s Foreign Ministry has warned the computer system “still lacks the necessary stability and functionality”.
Earlier this year former Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron raised concerns in conversations with EU leaders and Home Office Minister Seema Malholtra warned in July that the system will increase processing times for travellers “with disruption likely when the scheme is introduced”.
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She said: “This is particularly true for journeys involving travel through the UK’s three ports with juxtaposed frontier controls (London St Pancras, Eurotunnel in Folkestone, and the Port of Dover), where Entry Exit System registration will be required on departure from the UK.”
The European Commission said it was “working hard” to ensure the system “starts operation on time”.
The Entry Exit System had been due to be implemented in 2022 but was delayed until after this year’s Paris Olympics.