EU rejects calls for EES to be suspended despite disruptions

The EES was first introduced in October last year, before the rollout ramped up on April 10.

The new system requires travellers from the UK and other non-EU visitors to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, when entering the Schengen Area.

The new EES has received significant backlash since its introduction, with it causing long waits for passengers at airports.

Brits have already been warned of six-hour waits at several major European airports, with these long waits expected to continue for another two years, according to industry experts.

CEO of Malta Air, David O’Brien, even threatened to pull all flights to Malta due to the extended wait times caused by the EES at airports.

EU refuses to suspend EES

Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have urged the EU to suspend the EES rollout until after the peak summer travel period or risk “major disruptions”.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also called for an EES suspension until next summer, with passengers experiencing “delays and missed connections” in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Belgium.

Greece temporarily suspended the rollout of the EES back in April, while Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said he is “unhappy” and could suspend the system if delays continue.

Aeroporti di Roma chief executive Marco Troncone also threatened to suspend the new system at Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino Airports.

The European Union (EU) has now rejected calls for the EES to be suspended, just weeks out from the summer holidays and peak travel season, according to The Guardian.

EU officials said the new system was “not perfect”, but a full suspension was “not needed” and “not possible”.

If the system were left open in some countries and closed in others, it could lead to travellers being stranded at border crossings, officials explained.

The EU, speaking in The Guardian, said that of the 1,500 border crossing points, only 20 were “difficult spots”, and it would pressure those members to put measures in place to ease congestion.

As well as significant delays, airports have also raised concerns that automated EES booths do not always work, the Financial Times reported.

Airports have raised concerns about automated EES booths not working. (Image: Lucy North/PA)

This means passengers who have already passed through EES and are supposed to skip the queues are often forced to carry out checks again, adding to congestion.

Head of the airports industry group ACI Europe, Olivier Jankovec, said: “The processes need to work better.”

“We need the self-service tills to work, and at the moment they don’t work.”

Meanwhile, more than 30,000 people have been denied entry into Europe since the rollout of the new EES, according to the latest data from the European Commission (acquired by the Majorca Daily Bulletin).

EU to delay introduction of new visa system

The EU is also set to delay the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), a separate pre-authorisation visa system, according to the Financial Times.

The ETIAS was expected to launch later this year, but it has now been delayed until 2027.

Under the scheme, visa-exempt travellers, including UK passport holders, will need permission to enter 30 European countries for short stays.

Applications will cost €20, although under-18s and over-70s will be exempt from the fee.

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