Could the EU 'pause' full EES rollout in September?

The EU is poised to extend powers allowing airports within the bloc to temporarily halt biometric checks on passengers entering and exiting the Schengen area, according to reports in the UK media.

Pressure from airlines, airport agencies and non-EU countries such as the UK may see the bloc lengthen certain allowances to reduce long queues at border points. 

European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas – who also manages Entry/Exit System (EES) relations with non-EU countries – has privately assured those in the industry that such extensions will soon be confirmed, according to reports shared with The Times. 

It comes after a backlash against the EES this summer, with aviation authorities urging the EU to backtrack on a September 6 cut off point for biometric data collection suspension, as well as more flexibility going forward with the system. 

Mr Tzitzikostas met with UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in July, where both were said to be on the same page about the extension for airports to temporarily suspend EES biometric data collection to prevent queues. 

A new study reveals up to a fifth of Britons have been considering changing summer holiday plans in light of the EES chaos. 

What could be set to change?

Currently, airports that see long queues due to EES can suspend the taking or checking of biometric information including fingerprints and facial photos for both incoming and outgoing flights.

This can officially be done for up to six hours at a time, although border points should never suspend digital recording of both incoming and existing passengers.

These partial suspensions were authorised as part of the final phase of EES implementation on April 10 (when all border points had to start collecting EES information from relevant travellers).

From September 6, however, approval for suspension of any kind officially ends, and all border points must record or check biometric data regardless of how busy queues are. 

Following travel disruption this summer, where queues at many airports have reached several hours – and some flights leaving the Schengen area have departed with dozens of passengers missing due to long queues – there are widespread concerns that ending this suspension permission will only worsen the situation. 

However, Mr Tzitzikostas is said to be pushing for a derogation allowing such pauses to be extended beyond September 6. 

It is unclear, however, how this can be achieved without a new EU regulation, which is usually a lengthy process involving drafting and then ratification by both the EU council and parliament. 

UK pressure

The reports suggest that pressure from the UK is among the major reasons for the alleged turnaround in policy. 

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with Mr Tzitzikostas in mid-July, arguing that long queues related to EES at Schengen area airports were negatively affecting thousands of Britons – and in turn making them look elsewhere for holidays, depriving the EU of vital cashflow from a major tourist partner. 

“We want everyone to have the summer holidays they deserve – and yesterday’s meeting shows everyone is pulling in the same direction,” she said following the meeting.

“I was reassured that the EU commissioner for transport understood the concerns of holidaymakers and recognised the need for us to work together.” 

EU statement 

A European Commission spokesperson said: “We do not comment on closed door meetings.”

More generally, on the EES, the spokesperson added that it had “evident” advantages. 

“It increases the security of EU citizens and replaces paper stamping with a modern system of registration and checks. 

“We already see very clear security benefits. At the same time all efforts are being made to limit the impact on travellers from outside the EU. In most cases, this impact is indeed limited.”

She said EES involves 1,500 border crossing points across 29 countries, with so far, more than 160 million entries and exits registered. 

The system had also flagged 50,000 refusals of entry, including almost 1,500 concerning individuals presenting a threat to internal security that were prevented from entering. 

“The average check takes around 70 seconds; a small delay in view of the added layer of security.”

The spokesperson added: “When it comes to the time after the summer, we are in close and constructive contact with those few member states where there are challenges at certain border crossing points. 

“During this additional period of operational adjustment, the commission stands ready to provide additional support to member states to help address outstanding issues, including operational assistance, funding, and the possible deployment of additional Frontex [EU border force] standing corps officers. 

“There is a strong joint will to make the system work everywhere, and we work together with member states in this spirit.”