The EU’s Entry Exit System has resulted in long waits at passport control across Europe
Politicians in the Canary Islands have called for the Spanish government to suspend the Entry/Exit System (EES) at airports across the archipelago. It’s the latest destination to speak out against the European Union’s new border checks.
It comes as non-EU travellers have faced long queues at passport control as a result of the EU’s new entry restrictions which came into force on April 10. Under the EES, third-country nationals – which includes Brits – must provide biometric data which includes fingerprints and a photograph which creates a digital record that is valid for three years.
The system is designed to replace passport stamping and will monitor visa-free travellers to ensure that they do not stay any longer than 90 days within any 180-day travel period. Initially rolled out gradually in October last year, it was fully launched in April, but the system has been plagued with issues.
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Airports across the Schengen Area have struggled to cope with additional administration, which has even resulted in some passengers missing their flights. Now ahead of the busy summer season destinations across Europe have called for the EU to suspend the EES during peak travel times.
Greece has already suspended checks until September, and it is understood Portugal is waving passengers through when the queues are too long. Italy is understood to be following soon.
The Partido Popular in the Canary Islands has announced that it will take a proposal to the regional parliament calling on the Spanish government to suspend the EES across the islands, Canarian Weekly reports. David Morales, the PP’s tourism spokesperson in the Canary Islands Parliament, has questioned the implementation of the system.
Mr Morales has said the EES is not meeting expectations and is impacting airport operations, as passengers face long wait times and overcrowding at the border. He argues that both tourism business organisations and police representatives have previously warned that the system is “at risk of saturation” if “introduced without adequate preparation”.
He also states that the border queues damage the islands’ image for tourists. The Partido Popular is citing EU Regulation 2025/1534, which allows Member States to temporarily suspend the EES at specific border crossings in cases of technical failures or where excessive traffic leads to significant delays. The proposal is set to be debated in the regional parliament, where the PP is seeking formal backing to press Madrid for action.
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